Paul Rieckhoff is on the courthouse steps in Foley Square, filing suit against the state of New York. The question in front of the court is as old as the republic and as urgent as this news cycle: does the right to vote derive from citizenship, or from joining a political party? In New York, 25.4% of the electorate — 3.1 million voters — is shut out of the primaries that actually decide most elections. Public schools. Public workers. Public machines. Private party gatekeeping. It is unfair, un-American, and the plaintiffs argue, unconstitutional.
Episode 637
Let vets vote. 3.1 million New Yorkers locked out of primaries. Rieckhoff & IVA files landmark lawsuit to blow up closed primaries.
Paul Rieckhoff is standing on the courthouse steps in Lower Manhattan — and he’s suing the state of New York. 3.1 million unaffiliated New Yorkers are locked out of the primaries that actually decide their elections, and a coalition of independent veterans, led by Independent Veterans of America, just filed a landmark lawsuit to blow the doors off. This is Let Vets Vote — and it starts now.
The Brief
→ Four things from today’s episode
01
Why Paul filed suit against the state of New York. and why his 11-year-old son’s reaction says it all
02
Chad Peace on the core constitutional question. does the right to vote come from citizenship, or from joining a party?
03
The historical echo of US v. Classic and the white primaries cases. and why the same logic applies today
04
How New York became the epicenter. 3.1 million unaffiliated voters, 7-9% primary turnout, gerrymandered general elections already decided
Show Notes
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