Last week, the New York City Charter Revision Commission (CRC) announced that it would not advance a proposal to reform the city’s local primaries, attributing the failure to a lack of consensus among its members.
However, many observers believe the true reason lies in concerted opposition from various leftist groups and figures, including the Working Families Party and Comptroller Brad Lander, who threatened legal action against the CRC if the proposal was submitted to voters.
The CRC’s interim report, released earlier this summer, had suggested the implementation of ranked-choice voting in an open primary system, allowing all candidates and registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, to participate.
Closed primaries in New York City restrict electoral participation to registered party members, resulting in a significant portion of the electorate being disenfranchised. With Democrats comprising approximately 65% of the city’s electorate, their primary elections have become crucial, yet they exclude nearly 2 million registered voters.
Despite a surge in voter turnout during the June 24 primary, only about 32% of eligible Democrats participated, illustrating the low engagement in these primaries. Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary with 573,000 votes, which amounted to 56% of the voting Democrats but only 11% of all registered New Yorkers.
The primary setup allowed Mamdani’s campaign to thrive, as his volunteers needed to focus solely on Democratic voters rather than reaching out to a broader audience.
During public hearings convened by the CRC earlier this year, various suggestions were made for reforming the primary system. Advocates across the political spectrum felt that closed primaries suppressed participation and stifled electoral competition, leading to candidates being beholden to a non-representative electorate.
Unaffiliated voters expressed frustration at these hearings, feeling excluded from the most significant elections in the city. Momentum appeared to build for reform in the spring months.
The CRC’s proposal aimed to create a ranked-choice top-two primary system, where all candidates would be listed and all voters could participate regardless of party affiliation. This system would use ranked-choice voting to eliminate candidates until only two remained for the general election.
Polling from the Manhattan Institute showed that New Yorkers desire changes to the current electoral structure, with a plurality supporting the top-two primary format over existing alternatives. Notably, even among Democratic respondents, support for this reform was significant.
However, the recent rise of Mamdani, aided by a notable increase in voter turnout and enthusiasm, has led several far-left activists to oppose reforms put forth by the CRC. At a CRC hearing on July 7, Comptroller Brad Lander defended the current system, suggesting that Mamdani’s victory illustrated the effectiveness of their established democratic practices.
Jasmine Gripper, co-director of the New York State Working Families Party, explicitly threatened legal action against the CRC if primary reforms were placed on the ballot. She expressed concerns that opening the primaries would dilute the party’s electoral influence, making it more challenging and costly for them to mobilize support.
By advocating for closed primaries, the WFP highlights an apparent contradiction: a party initially committed to combating voter disenfranchisement now seeks to restrict voting in a critical election, thus limiting the democratic process.
The CRC’s announcement cited a lack of agreement among civic leaders regarding the direction of electoral reform. Yet, the absence of consensus does not diminish the need for voters to decide on potential reforms through a ballot.
This missed opportunity for primary reform significantly affects the upcoming mayoral election in November. A top-two primary system would have encouraged candidates to appeal to a more extensive and diverse electorate during their campaigns and in office.
However, the opposition from Mamdani’s supporters indicates that if he were to win in November, he is unlikely to convene another CRC to address these pressing electoral reform issues. Given this resistance, it appears that efforts to reform New York City’s closed primary system may be stifled for the foreseeable future, leaving many voters feeling increasingly disenfranchised in the electoral process.
image source from：city-journal
