New York State just had their primary election for NY Congressional District 25. I cannot vote in any primary election because New York state does not have open primaries. I refuse to register with any party because I vote for the person, not the party. To reiterate, I cannot vote in any primary election whether Democrat or Republican in the State of New York. This makes me very angry. It's undemocratic, skews the electorate, and robs people of their freedom of choice.
Voting for our state and congressional representatives is a crucial voting right for all of us. How can closed voting (which is really what this is) be representative of the needs of our local community in a county or district? To top it off, our county and state officials wonder why there is low voter turnout.
I think there needs to be a law in all states requiring open primaries for congressional and state offices. There are 14 other states whose laws require open primaries for both state and congressional positions. If they can do it why can't New York State?!
As a New York State tax paying citizen, I give the Horse Pucky Award to the state of New York for undemocratic primary practices, and very questionable political motives.
