The New York Young Republican Club vehemently opposes the efforts of Be Counted NYC to re-register Republican and unaffiliated voters in New York City as Democrats ahead of New York’s impending February 14 registration deadline. This disingenuous effort seeks to eviscerate what remains of the Republican Party in New York City in a misguided attempt to influence the Democratic Primary.
The New York Young Republican Club believes that more effective methods exist to court moderate and conservative voters than re-registering them as Democrats. The New York Young Republican Club supports efforts to move towards an open primary system, as the mayor and citywide elected officials would then no longer be effectively chosen during the city’s Democratic primary. This would achieve the goals of moderating the influences in a Democratic primary, which is also helped by the recent move to instant runoff voting in primaries.
It is clear that New York City has been mismanaged for far too long. With crime on the rise, a projected $5.25 billion budget gap, and more than 500,000 people out of work, The people of New York City deserve to be presented with a wider array of choices when selecting their leaders. The odds of a Republican winning are steep in the largely Democratic-run city. Despite this, the Republican Party remains robust in certain areas of New York City, such as Staten Island, southern Brooklyn, and southern Queens. A move to an open primary would reaffirm the importance of all voters, including these crucial constituencies.
In addition, The New York Young Republican Club also supports changes to electoral laws that would increase political competition in New York. Two such proposals are:
- A return to proportional voting for City Councilmembers, which would allow a multiparty system to take shape
- A move towards instant runoff voting for general elections for city-wide candidates
Both these changes would facilitate a departure from one-party dominance over New York City politics.
New York City has nearly seven registered Democrats for every registered Republican. Even while the city remains largely under Democratic control, most neighborhoods shifted right during the 2020 election. Re-registering Republican and unaffiliated voters in New York City does not ensure fair or proportional representation in the 2021 mayoral election and jeopardizes future efforts to focus support on moderate and conservative citizens. The New York Young Republican Club is committed to promoting tangible solutions to ensure that all voices are heard, not that they are silenced in the future to fulfill a misguided, short-term objective.