Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Want young people to vote in NY? Open the primaries.

Want young people to vote in NY? Open the primaries.
Getty Images

Roggenkamp is a junior at SUNY Oneonta and an Ambassador for Students for Open Primaries, a nonprofit dedicated to enfranchising young voters.

As a young voter, I’ve asked myself, “how can I use my voice in a big way?” My first thought was to go out and vote, but when I showed up to the last primary election I was turned away. That’s because while I’m a registered voter, I’m one of over three million independent voters in New York that are barred from voting in the primaries.


I thought back to a time when my Nana, who was born of Italian immigrants in 1928, was beyond proud to be an American. I recently found old newspaper clippings from when she was young, interviewed on the street by local newspapers on the topic of American politics. For her, being a woman with the right to vote was something she was proud of. Those memories had me question, why don’t voters have the same feeling of empowerment in elections today?

I always vote, but I never understood primary elections until recently. Primary elections are crucial to our electoral outcomes because they determine which representatives have a better standing in the general election.

The current system suppresses the voices of independents-derogatorily labeled “other” and “blank” on the New York voter rolls who are told to pick a side. Well, I’m here to tell you that young people, millennials and Gen Z alike, are registering as independents in record numbers- over 50 percent- and we don’t want to pick a side. Why should we be forced to join a private political party in order to vote?

In America, our motto is “United We Stand” because divided we fall, and I believe firmly in unity, freedom, and equality for all. This country is not just Red or Blue, but instead, there are voices that share independent or bipartisan beliefs, and those voices slip between the cracks and become lost along the way during primary elections.

We often forget just how many Americans are independent today. New data from Gallup shows that over 49 percent of Americans today consider themselves to be independent voters. Often these unconventional voices are looked upon negatively by partisans. However, people deserve the right to vote. Since New York is a closed primary state, citizens registered as independent or with no political party do not get to vote during primary elections, locking millions out of the democratic process.

New York is one of twelve states that still uses a closed primary system, and it needs to change. In 2023, more and more New Yorkers no longer identify with a political party, and both political parties in New York have lost voters in the last year and over the last decade. Voters who have chosen not to affiliate with any political party have grown by 22 percent.

There are many arguments on how open primaries would affect the nomination process, but the bigger picture is to stray from the extremes. We need to provide more opportunity and lift the veil to incentivize more voters to have their right to vote in primary elections in New York. Recent studies have found that open primaries significantly increase voter turnout. If our voices are heard and communities feel more understood, there will be a greater and more positive impact for all.

Opening primaries in New York has nothing to do with advancing one side over another but rather the opportunity to include every New Yorker in our most basic right as citizens— voting. As an American, I want the right to choose leaders that align with my beliefs. I am passionate about this issue because of my own experience of being turned away at the polls. I choose to speak up and I refuse to give up my democratic rights- something my late grandma would have frowned upon. The choice is ours in making greater impacts and it starts by reforming how we elect our public officials.

It’s time to open the primaries in New York.

Read More

Celebrating Congressional Excellence: Democracy Awards 2025
United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Celebrating Congressional Excellence: Democracy Awards 2025

In a moment of bipartisan celebration, the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) will honor the winners of its 2025 Democracy Awards, spotlighting congressional offices that exemplify outstanding public service, operational excellence, and innovation in governance.

The ceremony, scheduled for this Thursday, September 18, 2025, in Washington, D.C., will recognize both Republican and Democratic offices across multiple categories, reinforcing the idea that excellence in Congress transcends party lines.

Keep ReadingShow less
Political Assassinations Are Part of the “Constitutional Rot” That Afflicts America
Gen Z and the Dangerous Allure of Political Violence
Gen Z and the Dangerous Allure of Political Violence

Political Assassinations Are Part of the “Constitutional Rot” That Afflicts America

Americans are learning that democracy is a fragile thing. If it is taken for granted, it can wither almost imperceptibly.

Signs of that withering are everywhere. I won’t rehearse them here.

Keep ReadingShow less
Meacham: Political Violence in America Linked to Deep Questions of Identity and Inclusion

"Who is an American? Who deserves to be included in ‘We the people" - Jon Meacham

AI generated illustration

Meacham: Political Violence in America Linked to Deep Questions of Identity and Inclusion

In a sobering segment aired on CBS Sunday Morning, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham addressed the escalating wave of political violence in the United States and its implications for the future of American democracy. Speaking with journalist Robert Costa, Meacham reflected on the recent assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and a string of violent incidents targeting political figures and institutions.

"We do not want to be in a place where, because you disagree with someone, you pick up a gun. That is not what the country can be. And if it is, then it's something different. It's not the America we want," he said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Two speech bubbles overlapping each other.

Political outrage is rising—but dismissing the other side’s anger deepens division. Learn why taking outrage seriously can bridge America’s partisan divide.

Getty Images, Richard Drury

Taking Outrage Seriously: Understanding the Moral Signals Behind Political Anger

Over the last several weeks, the Trump administration has deployed the National Guard to the nation’s capital to crack down on crime. While those on the right have long been aghast by rioting and disorder in our cities, pressing for greater military intervention to curtail it, progressive residents of D.C. have tirelessly protested the recent militarization of the city.

This recent flashpoint is a microcosm of the reciprocal outrage at the heart of contemporary American public life. From social media posts to street protests to everyday conversations about "the other side," we're witnessing unprecedented levels of political outrage. And as polarization has increased, we’ve stopped even considering the other political party’s concerns, responding instead with amusement and delight. Schadenfreude, or pleasure at someone else’s pain, is now more common than solidarity or empathy across party lines.

Keep ReadingShow less