Unite NY in the News: Civics Groups Are at Odds With Mamdani Over Push for Open Primaries
Unite NY
The New York Times covered our work to bring open primaries to New York City:
"Unite NY wants to allow candidates, regardless of party affiliation, to appear on a single ballot that all registered voters could weigh in on each June. The candidates’ party affiliation would appear after their names, but they would not be running under the heading of a party. The top three contenders would advance to a general election.
“Nowhere in the Constitution does it say you have to join a political party to cast your ballot,” Anthony Thomas, executive director of Unite NY, said in an interview.
He said about 1.1 million active voters in the city are not enrolled with a political party, and thus cannot participate in New York primaries.
“They’re signed up but they can’t play,” added Mr. Thomas, who said he is a registered Democrat. “These election reforms bring more people into the arena to cast their ballot and have their say.”
The organization filed more than 45,000 petitions from registered voters to the city clerk’s office on July 2, more than enough for the measure to go before the City Council for consideration."
Read the full article here.
