Paul Rieckhoff joins NewsNation with Aattorney Chad Peace of the Independent Voter Project, to announce a Lawsuit Challenging New York's Closed Primary system, the Opening move in what Paul calls a National fight. His Argument is Personal and Direct: 45% of American Voters are independent, like Me, who served 12 years in NYC as an Elected Official of the Independece Party, or Unaffiliated, about 27% in New York, and in a New York City, where the Primary is Effectively the whole Ball Game, those Voters are Shut-Out of the Election that decides the Outcome.
Primaries run on Public Schools, Public Funding, and Public Poll Workers, Paul notes, but they aren't Public for everyone, you have to Resign your Independence and join a Private Political Party to participate.
Veterans are at the center of the Case. Roughly 2.7 million Veterans Nationally and 270,000 in New York are Affected by what the Campaign calls the Veteran Lockout, because Veterans register as Independent at far Higher Rates than the General Population. I am an AF Disabled Vet from the Vietnam period.
Peace explains the Legal Strategy: the Political Parties aren't, the State of New York is, because the State built the System requiring Party Membership to Vote.
The Claim rests on the First Amendment Right of Non-Association, and on California Democratic Party v. Jones, in which the Supreme Court Granted Parties the Right to Eclude Independent Voters. If a Party's Rights derive from the Individuals who Compose it, Peace Argues, a Voter can't be Excluded from a Public Election for Exercising that very same Rright. Paul says they'll take it to the Supreme Court if necessary, and that New York is only the Starting Point.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
