If we stay focused on the weekly, sometimes daily, outrageous cruelty we face, battling through the years of this fascist regime, we may lose heart. We need to stay focused on the goodness, beauty, and justice around us.
We heard from Riley Hart Thursday night on Ranked Choice Voting. Riley, Capital Region Organizer for UniteNY, showed a fascinating film followed by discussion about ranked choice voting and other voting reforms. The film, Majoriy Rules, traces the development of the primary system in the early 1900s, a progressive reform that gave (male, white) citizens their first chance to vote on who the candidates would be. The political parties hated it but eventually primaries were held across the land, and for a time, this reform fought back the excesses of the Gilded Age. As time went by greedy politicians learned to game the system and created closed primaries, like those in NYS, which only allowed registered party members to vote on the candidates. This leaves out at least one third of the voters in NYS who don’t belong to the Democratic Party because the Dems are too conservative for them. These independents are often more progressive than the Democratic leadership.
As independents, they have no voice in the Democratic primaries. The film illustrates how a few powerful people can manipulate the primaries.
It’s time for new election reform. Take a close look at Ranked Choice Voting. It has worked well in Alaska and NYC. It’s only been partially adopted in California and is having a bumpy initiation, but is far better than a closed primary system. The City of Albany is poised to become a test case for ranked choice voting in our region. Want to see RCV become a reality? RCV Albany needs volunteers to canvas for signature to get RCV on the ballot, on Wednesday, at 6PM. While only Albany city residents can sign the petition, anyone can help with canvassing. For details and to sign up, visit the Mobilize page.
Visit Majority Rules to watch a 30 minute version of the film for free, or pay for access to the full-length feature.
In other election news, early voting has begun in Albany County! For early voting locations, dates, and to see what’s on your ballot, visit the Board of Elections website. We are closely watching the races for Comptroller, and for County Court Judge. See a sample ballot for Guilderland, and see sample ballots for other localities. In Guilderland, the library is an early voting location.
Why does the County Court Judge race matter? County court judges make decisions that directly affect local communities. County court judges rule on property disputes, family cases, and more. Every ruling sets a precedent for future cases. We want our judges to be fair and impartial, as much as they can be, given how partisan these races are. (Judges ought to be non-partisan, don’t you think?)
As for Comptroller, this office controls the State pension fund and oversees audits of state agencies. If you care how your tax dollars are being spent, pay attention to who is managing those tax dollars. “Fun fact”: DiNapoli has been the Comptroller for nearly twenty years, which is a little bananas, if you ask us. This year, he is being primaried by two candidates. If you think it’s time to tax the rich, it’s time to change who’s holding the checkbook.
Tired of the Old Albany Democratic Machine? Vote in the primary this month, if you’re a registered Democrat!
Did you see us at the Pride Parade today? Guilderland Indivisible marched with the Greater Capital Region Coalition. Our theme was Pride is Resistance. (Pride started as a protest, after all!) A great time was had by all, and we handed out 500 flyers for our next Citizens Bank protest.
Guilderland Weekly Protest
Join your Guilderland neighbors for a weekly protest for Democracy! RSVP on Mobilize to let us know you’re coming and to get timely updates of changes. Signing up on Mobilize also makes it easy to share and invite friends!
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