Expect light blogging the rest of the week, as I’m swamped at work. But before the polls open, I wanted to get my two cents in: I intend to vote “no” on Question 3 on the New York City ballot tomorrow morning. Question 3 proposes to change the city’s mayoral and city council primary system to eliminate party primaries and have runoff elections among the top two candidates from an open field — sort of like having the California recall every two years, with a touch of the Chirac/Le Pen race thrown in for good measure.
Seriously, I’m completely opposed to this, and not just because a partisan primary may have saved my life two years ago. As I explained at much greater length in this post, I’m a big believer in the value of political parties in promoting accountability, and specifically in the two-party system’s ability to sharpen the two sides of major issues and present them within a mainstream framework.
I’m in, well, odd company here; a quick Google search turns up such diverse opponents of the plan as The New York Post, The New York Times, The Nation, and the United Federation of Teachers.
No on 3.
UPDATE: Jane Galt explains why she’s voting Yes.