Good afternoon, members of the committee.

My name is Bree Doldron. I was born and raised in Bed-Stuy, and I am here today to ask you to open our primary elections.

I’m here before you as a member of the most independent generation our country has ever seen – Gen Z. Personally, I am tired of the endless partisan gridlock, and my generation is, too. We are trapped in a rigid “Red versus Blue” binary that simply does not reflect who we are or how we live our lives. We don’t see productive arguments anymore; we just see opposition and division. We want real, structural solutions. Something we’ve seen so little of, that sadly, American ideals like “fairness”, “compromise”, or “collaboration” – are completely abstract. 

That is, I believe, why people are leaving the two-party system in droves. 

Right now, 45% of Americans identify as independent, and a striking 56% of my peers in Gen Z refuse to align with either party. I refuse to treat party loyalty as a given, especially when the issues that plague our generation—like the climate crisis and the crushing weight of affordability—threaten to destroy our planet and our future without us having a fair chance or a meaningful say in who represents us. Our identities and experiences are far too complex to be forced into two restrictive boxes.

 Yet, because of our closed primary system, choosing independence, choosing to unaffiliate, saying “enough is enough” means we are stripped of our right to vote in the elections that matter most. It hurts me deeply to know that In New York City alone, over 1.2M independent voters (the majority of whom are people of color, 51%) are completely barred from having a say and are therefore silenced from participating in the very primary elections that dictate their representation.

This is a voting rights violation that hurts those who have the most at stake. It systematically silences my generation, proud independent voters, veterans, and communities of color.When we lock independents out, we lock marginalized communities out. There’s no way around this. 

Why are we so afraid of these populations of voters having a voice? What are we afraid of in opening primaries? That people, the voters, would be returned the power?

If we truly want to build a representative future, we must end this exclusion. I urge you to open our primaries.

Thank you for your time and consideration.