Change the law. Please.
1
While there's little doubt that NY should update its voter laws, they are nothing compared to the voter suppression in many other states. SC requires that voters register 30 days before an election and have a valid photo ID, there is no early voting and only 15 reasons for in-person absentee voting. In my large county, 1/3 the size of CT, that means that some people would have to drive one-way up to 30 miles to the county seat to vote in person. Absentee mail-in ballots are subject to the same 15 reasons and in addition, they must be witnessed. If they are not witnessed, they are thrown out. The election commission promised to put stickers on these ballots to remind people of the need to have them witnessed, but it didn't.
We are working hard in our community to register voters and help them get to the polls, but it's not easy. The old southern voter suppression tactics are still at work here.
3
New York State should be considered a model of “voter suppression.”
4
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez's tweeted attacks on Joe Crowley's integrity were explicit and vehement. She went on to monetized the tweeted smears with calls for funds.
Now that it's clear to all except hardcore progressive conspiracists that Crowley is neither subverting nor ghosting her, Ocasio-Cortez should retract her smears and debunk the false and corrosive notion that elected Democrats are cogs in a vicious and corrupt dark money machine.
Her win disproves that assertion, doesn't it?
To impugn the character of a person who honorably served his constituents and his party, whose platform is progressive, and who has been beyond gracious about his loss is not just cynical but Trumpian in its self-serving dishonesty.
10
I sincerely hope that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's tweet was but a careless digression from her otherwise astoundingly positive demeanor. I see her as a builder, as a problem-solver, as a woman who will not compromise her ideals while simultaneously understanding that she needs to work with those people whose vision is not as forward-looking as hers.
It is my fond desire that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez stays the course of maintaining that positive vision and desire to work with her less-than-willing colleagues. I believe she can win the November election with this vision, regardless of Mr. Crowley's presence or absence on the ballot.
Mr. Trump has an awful message, one that panders to our collective worst fears and insecurities. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has a message that's a breath of fresh air, one that's a balm to the consciousness of our suffering nation.
We have more than enough of an unfair share of dividers in Washington feeding at the trough of privilege while they portend to serve their angry "bases." We need more unifying servants in our government to extricate us from this morass in which we presently find ourselves.
America has serious problems whose solutions can be found only in an atmosphere that fosters co-operative working toward goals that benefit the greatest number of citizens and aliens alike. I believe Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has this animus in her genes, an animus that can catch on as a national contagion if we want it badly enough.
4
It's interesting to rad about New York's voting laws. Change parties a whole year before an election? I'm surprised at how backward they are.
2
New York has closed primaries. The party change limits are to prevent temporary party switchers from improperly influencing party primaries. Because it has happened before. Just imagine if Republicans became Democrats to help the weakest primary candidate win. That would help the Republican in the general election. And most New Yorkers would call California’s voter proposition and jungle primary system a disaster. New doesn’t mean better.
6
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez is correct. The Queens Machine is up to tricks. To get off the ballot , Mr. Crowley could easily say he is moving out of NY, as he moved to Virginia in 2004. This is easy to prove. His phony residence in Woodside is his mother’s home. Joe Crowley puts on an affable front, but he has ruled the ruthless and corrupt Queens Machine for years, and they will not go down easily. He and his cronies are upset they even let Ocasio-Cortez get on the ballot - they have enough power to have stopped it, but they didn’t consider her a threat. Ocasio-Cortez has to be careful with Crowley and the Machine - they will continue to work behind the scenes to undermine her, while pretending to support her. Crowley’s family and friends have raked in millions, and they won’t give up power easily.
19
If the winner of the WFP needs to withdraw from the election, what are doing on the ballot in the first place?
2
NYS election law has been bizarre for decades. The mere fact that we have two primary days and it is so easy to knock challengers off the ballot illustrates that. I wonder if Crowley had won the primary and Ocasio-Cortez was on another ballot line if the Times would be so anxious to have her get off of it.
6
New York's primary laws are antiquated in more ways than one. Why should the antiquated party primary system always control who gets elected. Better, let all the voters vote on the candidates in the the general election. If you want to require a majority winner, have a runoff for the top two if no one gets 50.1% in a 3+ way race. If this were California, there'd be two Democrats facing of in the fall in a real election instead of a low turnout primary.
1
Crowley is a closet Trump supporter. Pure and simple.
2
Something tells me the Times Editorial Board would fail to "agree" with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez if the shoe were on the other foot.
10
Is that a news photograph you're using of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, or do only your special friends get posed shots in a studio?
5
"... or do only your special friends get posed shots in a studio?"
That's a flattering photo, but it is done in Damon Winter's style. Do a Google images search for "Damon Winter".
If you prefer a more candid photo, see:
Ocasio-Cortez Highlights How Third-Party Quirks Can Muddle Elections
By Lisa W. Foderaro
July 11, 2018
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/11/nyregion/ocasio-cortez-primary-third-...
..and if the WF party is intent in truly representing the working class in their efforts..direct them to lead the effort for this duly elected woman..and actively work disavowing this sordid attempt to undermine a fairly and freely elected prpogressive nominee .....and not play along with the antiquated and effectively anti democratic efforts of the Democratic machine
if the WF means what they say it;s put up or shut up time..
1
This is the most disgusting, corrupt thing I’ve ever heard in 54 years of involvement as a Democratic Party activist.
Get out of the way, loser Crowley, and drag Pelosi along with you.
3
Crowley is a mean spirited pol. Always has been. He could put all that dark money he amassed to work and spend it on ads for Cortez. But that would be a no-go for his Super-ego. in my New York district alone the state representative was hand picked
and we voters had zero to say. Now we have Al Taylor as our ghosted state representative. No special election. No vote. No joke. And the is in the 21 Century of the USA. Point is this is New York City politics. Crowley loves the mess. Roll with it baby!
2
Hmmm... Wonder how many thousands of voters will find that their names have been mysteriously dropped from the lists come November.
Nice catch, Alexandria.
2
She is herself running against Jose Serrano in the 15th District on the Reform Party line. So it’s absurd for her or the NYT to be critical of Crowley’s name appearing in the 14th District on the WFP line. She’s running for Congress in two separate districts!
New York’s “arcane” election law also involves two separate primary days, one for federal and one for state primaries. The resulting low voter turnout helped her win, since she was better at getting her supporters to the polls. You weren’t complaining about the election law then.
So you don’t get to coast into the general election. You have to campaign and convince voters to elect you. If Crowley or Pappas win in November, that’s how representative democracy works.
4
This has to be hold over from the old Tammany Hall days.
Ocasio-Cortez is displaying the self-centered, ill-informed behavior of someone who is not very mature. Get used to it - this "gift" to the democrat Left will be a gaffe machine that other democrats will run from.
10
I tried to email Mr. Crowley tonight as a citizen residing outside the district and was blocked. Try it yourself. Mr. Crowley's actions are a national matter.
1
The Times Editorial board wrote "Fixing this will require action from the State Legislature and the governor. If Democrats win control of the State Senate this November, a unified state government should get it done." That is so cute. Seriously guys, do you really think that the New York Democratic Party machine would favor rules that would give insurgent candidates a fair shot against establishment darlings. Just who do you think these ridiculously arcane laws were designed to keep in power anyway?
4
Times: "That’s thanks to a quirk in New York State’s election laws, ..."
The Times fails to clearly explain that law. There isn't even a link to a statute.
So I can't answer a simple question:
Could a candidate appear on the ballot TWICE?
Every so often, the situational equivalent of an open-mike moment happens – the insight can be scintillating…
Two people and two parties, so what were – and are – their game-theoretic interests…
And who is winning – or not…
Well, most basically – Ocasio-Cortez won…
In a – for urban US politics – level-field primary process…
Hadn’t known anything about Crowley – but his textual and media footprint since the primary has been nothing but gracious and supportive…
Conversely – at least until now – Ocasio-Cortez has done an impressive job of being assertively affirmative, as the media ply their gotcha journalism and interview techniques…
In a sense, the Democrat political machine has been a work of sheer succession-planning genius…
Crowley has made his mark, and – like folks from Gore to Obama – let him move into more lucrative private-sector roles…
Digressing for a moment, I continue to hope Comey sells a million books – and it may be time for Strzok to get an agent and a publisher…
Get your balance – and get out…
So why the dust-up…
Well – like the Green Party, under the guise of pulling the Democrat Party to the left – the WFP is about more mercenary things, like a line on the ballot and whatever support derives from the vote tally…
Here’s the rub…
Crowley simply wants the Democrat line to get the votes – and for Ocasio-Cortez to be unambiguously Democrat…
As the saying goes, in flyover country – you need to go home from the dance with the one you came in with…
It seems you overlooked the phony Independent Party that was a fringe bunch of looneys except that Bloomberg kept it alive with massive infusions of money so he would have a line to run on for people who didn't want to vote for him as a Republican. He also used it in his last mayoral election to secretly funnel money to challenge voters in black and Latino districts.
I have refused to vote for any candidate who has accepted the Independent Party's endorsement.
3
She will crush him yet again. The majority that chose her in the primary will not stand for old boy new york politics.
From The Queens Courier: "Just 27,444 votes were cast on June 26 in the 14th District; the New York State Board of Elections notes that the district has 235,745 registered Democrats. That means just 11.6 percent of registered Democrats participated in the 14th District primary." I wouldn't put anything past Crowley. The corrupt Queens Democratic machine takes care of its own, at least since the days of Donald Manes. I just don't see Crowley going gently into that good night, especially with House leadership a good possibility.
2
Wow. Is this the same NYT that could barely mention Sanders at the last election without the commentary dripping with contempt and ridicule over his "impractical" and "extreme" ideas? The same ideas this young woman exemplifies -- after all, she was an active supporter of Sanders working yourself for his campaign. Remember?
11
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez is showing her true colors: quick to anger, convinced there's a conspiracy to bring her down by the "establishment," airs grievances on Twitter instead of reaching out to the person in question. Does that remind you of anyone? If you need a hint, think the color orange.
Between this outburst and her response to Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth's (IL) statement that far leftist policies won't work for the Midwest, that “With respect to the Senator, strong, clear advocacy for working class Americans isn’t just for the Bronx,” Ocasio-Cortez has shown her true, ugly colors. That statement obviously implies that Duckworth doesn't provide strong, clear advocacy for her constituents, but this is absolutely false.
Senator Duckworth is a combat veteran and war hero, a woman of color, an immigrant, the first double amputee to serve in the Senate, the first woman to give birth while serving in the Senate, and she's been a strong advocate for progressive policies like paid family leave.
Ocasio-Cortez isn't fit to carry Sen. Duckworth's laundry, and she's proven her true colors. She may have no experience but she's as "establishment" as they come: a power-hungry, abrasive politician willing to lash out and defame anyone who questions or disagrees with her. She speaks first and thinks second. Ocasio-Cortez is the Democratic answer to lowlifes like Joe Wilson and Steve King. I'm thankful she isn't in my district so I don't have to choose between her and a Republican.
5
Democrats winning control of the state senate doesnt mean we’ll have a unified state goverment. Youre talking about Democrats!
1
Or at least have them wear sponsors jerseys as Robin Williams suggested as they do in race car derbies.
4
And you Yankees scoff at us! Fiddle dee-dee!
Miss Charlotte
1
Ms Ocasio-Cortez is meeting bad politicians again and again. This man does not live in his area, how yuck is that? Mr. Crowley is trying to make sure she does not win, maybe he wants another shot at it?
Please vote !!
3
The fact that Ocasio-Cortez wd air her concerns over Twitter instead of trying to initiate a private one-on-one conversation w Crowley makes me feel furious at her! What an immature, naive idealist. She needs to grow up quickly before she does anymore damage to the Democratic party!
14
I admire Ocasio-Cortez, but her and her campaign's antagonism toward Crowley by insisting he put his name on an elected office he has no plans to serve demonstrates neither confidence in herself nor an ability to accommodate one of the many, many curve balls she will soon face in a very broken political system, deteriorting further each and every day.
5
Why do I think that the WFP put her up to this? They endorsed Crowley but now want to be part of the winning team in November. She was doing great until she started listening to them. She’s going to be elected in November. She should forget about this nonsense.
Any reform of NY election laws should include rank-voting for both primary and general elections. Rank-voting prevents candidates in multi-candidate races from winning by a plurality. The winner must have a majority. Think the 1980 NY Senate race of Holtzman-Javits-D'Amato. In rank-voting, Holtzman wins! Think the 2000 Florida race of Nader-Gore-Bush. Gore wins!
Maine recently enacted rank-voting for all of its races. Hopefully, as Maine goes, so goes the Nation.
2
"Rank-voting prevents candidates in multi-candidate races from winning by a plurality."
Rank-voting is anti-democratic because it can lead to candidates from only one party appearing the ballot. Do you really want all your choices to be from one party?
4
@ZAG
It would do nothing of the kind. In general elections, a rank-voting system wouldn't decide who got on the ballot.
In primary elections, it would be done party-by-party, unless it were to be a California-style "jungle primary". However, the issue of only one party having candidates on the ballot would be a function of that, not RV.
Bill B: "In primary elections, it would be done party-by-party, ..."
That is not a defining feature of rank voting:
"Instead of casting a ballot for a single candidate, the voter ranks all of the candidates by preference. So if there are four choices, the voter is asked to rank them one through four."
Maine Adopts Ranked-Choice Voting. What Is It, and How Will It Work?
By Katharine Q. Seelye
Dec. 3, 2016
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/03/us/maine-ranked-choice-voting.html
Goes to show you Corporate Democrats would rather a Republican win than a progressive.
1
"... Corporate Democrats would rather a Republican win than a progressive."
That's ridiculous. The candidate's party affiliation is on the ballot.* And Crowley's "party" would be "Working Families Party", not "Democratic".
The real fraud is Ocasio-Cortez, who is running as a Democrat, yet she is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
* Per Google images search for "new york sample ballot".
4
Also unfair in some of the elections for judges the same name is on the Democrat and Republican lines. And even on a third party line. I remember former DA for Kings County Charles Hynes was on both the Democrat and Republican lines. I don't think that is fair. Even if Republicans think they don't stand a chance they should still run a Republican for district attorney in Brooklyn. Whenever I see the same name on more than one party line I just move on and don't vote for that person. It's just more evidence of how party politics control the system makes it a sham. The only time in my memory we had real competition for DA in Kings County was when DA Ken Thomas died. Then lots of Democrats vied for his seat only to end up with the acting DA winning mostly because he got lots of endorsements from many Democrats who were currently in office.
3
It's widely known that only a small portion of the eligible voters cast their votes in the primaries. Most likely Ocasio-Cortez was the beneficiary of a low voter turnout.
If her message has wide resonance with voters, why is Ocasio-Cortez so concerned about whether Crowley's name is on the ballot or not?
8
Arcane and counterproductive laws conspire to make 'democratically elected republic' more a myth than a fact...
6
I don't know how anyone is conceding Crowley the moral high ground based off a comparison of the two tweets: his is so blatantly patronizing. As a young woman (of color) myself, I know that tone. No doubt that attitude is why he lost (it's never smart to willfully underestimate an opponent), and he will hopefully lose again in the general no matter what ballot quirks there are.
5
Actually, more than 200,000 Democratic voters were purged from the rolls in NY in 2016. 117,000 of those were purged in Brooklyn, the borough Bernie Sanders grew up in. The real reasons for the purge remain a mystery. Clinton beat Sanders by just under 58,000 votes in New York city.
The election system in this state is a pathetic mess and nothing has been done to fix it.
6
"It would be onerous for him to remove his name.." REALLY? This statement is such a pathetic excuse that I had to read it twice before I could believe it. THIS is why we need to send the elders out to pasture and hand over the baton to the next generation. As with Nancy Pelosi, it would be nice to see career politicians mentor and guide, but it is time for new blood. I hope this ancient rule is changed in NY, as Mr. Ocasio-Cortez represents hope and a breath of fresh air, and would be a real vanguard in cleaning up the House.
4
It seems rather ironic (and hypocritical!) for Crowley to claim it would be "fraudulent" to put his name on the ballot for another office (that he doesn't want), but to insist on running against Ocasio-Cortez on the WFP line -- which is equally fraudulent, given the fact that the WFP has made it clear that they no longer support him.
4
Crowley running on Workers Families ticket and Ocasio-Cortez on Democratic one. I can see late night comedy having a good time with that. What is he now be a reverse-Bernie? This is exactly what the left needs before November: a split. Ocasio-Cortez seems to be a Trumpean twittee. She is not mincing words. This promises a good entertainment. And the political defeat.
4
Y'all forgot to add the most compelling information. Joe's family lives in Virginia and his kids go to school there! It makes sense for him to change is residency to Virginia. If he wants to, he could always move back to Queens.
6
Let him stay on the ballot. A second humiliation would be an even stronger message to incumbents.
1
I would think Alexandria would welcome Crowley on the ballot. Instead, like Trump, fear sets in. I really like what she has to say, but she needs to keep her wits.
4
Lol.
The editorial board is complaining now, but when supporters of Sanders were complaining about those same arcane election laws during the primaries, you were all for them.
Well, better late than never. And honestly I don't really mean to bring up the Hillary issue since she would obviously be a million times better than what we have now.
6
Was 10% turnout which was up 68%. And she won every demographic. Young, old. White, black, Asian, Hispanic, every income, and gender.
2
"But the episode is a grating reminder of the brokenness of the state’s election laws."
Also screams aloud of the brokenness of the Democratic Party. Talk about Sore Losers! Crowley should of course resign his campaign, remove himself from the ballot, throw full effort into support of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez - as any mensch or gentleman would know and do.
2
Crowley won the Working Families nomination but lost the Democratic primary. Why should he remove himself from the ballot? We are not required to have only 2 choices.
14
Dear New Yorkers, please throw out your state politicians, all the way from Andrew Cuomo, yes, I know he's a scheming Democrat, to the state senate and assembly. Then make some changes to your electoral laws. This model is idiotic.
If it is anything like we have in California, they all need to go. We have a "Democratic" controlled state government, but you would not even know. They are as centrist Republican as any moderate state, if any. To give you just one example, our state sales tax model is regressive. They take 9% of all sales, why? If it was a progressive state, our income tax system would have been changed, but no. This is easier.
1
Cold comfort for the thoughts of any meaningful change.
MB
1
Wow, and I always thought New York wasn't a southern state.
4
If she convinced us as THE candidate it should not matter who else is on the ticket - including the "rent is too high" candidate.
1
Sounds like Chicago, even if the specifics are different. Remember vote early and often if you have the correct party affiliation.
5
New York needs Ranked Choice Voting (RCV)! None of this would matter with RCV.
2
It does seem apparent that the American election process,primary or general, has not matured to qualify as a fulfledged democratic mechanism.Mr Crowley has lost the primary to be a Democratic Party nominee for the New York 14th District House seat to an upcoming bright Young progressive socialist- Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez.Hence based on democratic election process Mr Crowley does not qualify and ,moreover,it is not the wish of the electorates that he ought to be on the ballot paper.
However,by sheer political manipulation Mr Crowley name will be on the ballot as a Third Party candidate which according to him is against his own desire.
Instead of having spat with Ocasio-Cortez through social media, Mr Crowley should make a public announcement that he has conceded to the defeat and he has no intention for running for the House as a representative of the district that electorates have overwhelmingly negated his bit.
The sooner Mr Crowley make a sane public statement the better it is for American Democracy and Primary election process.
4
You really want Crowley to be Shermanesque: if nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve. Don't hold your breath.
Joe Crowley served us well and he served us for many years. But he needs to get his name off the Working Families line on the ballot. Although Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is gaining name recognition each passing day, Crowley can, and will, siphon off Democratic votes on election day. The Republican could sneak in due to a splintered Democratic vote. If you don't believe that just remember how many experts assured us that Trump could never be elected.
Congressman Crowley, for the sake of the party, the City, the State and, yes this might sound dramatic, the Nation, please get your name off the ballot. You, of all people, know how vital it is that Democrats take back the House this November. Thank you.
5
I hope she wins but she must shorten her impossibly long name---way too many syllables. Impossible to remember or pronounce easily without without practice. Not good for politics.
How about Alexia Cortez. Sounds good. She doesn't need extra handicaps.
4
You may need to become accustomed to the idea that not all Americans are named Sally Smith. If you knew anything about Latin names, you would also know that a shortened form would be Ocasio. Cortez was the family name of her mother. Was the name Kennedy too Catholic and Irish for a presidential candidate?
3
Yes, it is democracy. You do have to vote. In a democracy...
Yes, it is democracy. You do have to vote. In a democracy..
So Crowley says he's "not running" for NY-14 but he is on the ballot. How is this different from putting himself on the ballot for some other office instead, that he has no intention of actually running for?
4
"[Mr. Crowley] felt accepting the nomination of the Working Families Party for another office elsewhere in the state was akin to election fraud, since it suggests to voters he is running for an office he has no intention to occupy."
So he has intentions to occupy the office of Congressman for the 14th District? Class.
If it's not about his ego it's about strategy, most likely weighing Ocasio-Cortez down so she can't focus on helping upstart candidates in other races with vulnerable incumbents like she's been doing since she won the primary.
10
What percentage of the district turned out for the primary? Something like 5%, correct? Is it not embarrassingly retrograde that 5% of the district's population decides who its representative will be? Do you call that democracy?
13
Registered Democrats had the option to vote in the primaries. If they forfeited their opportunity to vote, it's all on them. So in that way, it's democracy, they made their choice.
I have no idea what percentage of voters in the district are registered Independent, but afaik, NY has closed primaries. So they got no say as to who the nominee for either party is. They do get their say in November. If either party doesn't want to open up their primaries to Independents, they can't cry if those voters reject the nominees chosen by the parties.
7
Low voter turnout is an embarrassment everywhere.
And there's lots that legislatures can do to fix that:
--mail in ballots
--easier voter registration
--get off work to go and vote
--election days are holidays
--not voting made into a misdemeanor punishable by fine (the GOP would never go for that, as likely more Democrats would show up to vote; the GOP would rather reduce turnout as that tends to help their side)
So, Jake, if only 5% vote in the primary it's not the fault of the candidate(s). The fault lies with the voters themselves -- at least for now.
3
yes. no one forced people NOT to vote. even if only one voter voted, that person gets her way. got a better solution?
trump said ""I love the uninformed."" that's why the country is being destroyed by him and his criminal cowards in DC. that is also, however, democracy.
don't whine, vote!!! that's a real president talking.
1
I remember running for Democratic County Committee, and ringing doorbells to get signatures, bringing the signed petitions to Board of Elections, and being asked: "Are you sure you want to submit those petitions that way?"
"I collected each and every one personally, and I asked each voter if they were a registered Democrat...so yes, sure, I am submitting these."
Turns out I had stapled them along the top edge, at the upper left corner, and I should have stapled them along the side edge, at the upper left corner. But I did not have money for a specialized elections lawyer to advise me. That was the beginning of my disillusionment with Democrats, not that Repubs are any better.
NYS must reform its election rules or a Federal Court will end up doing it, like in 1960's Alabama...
23
There is a solution.
I'm quite sure the legislature, local or state, is capable of passing a law or a special exception applying to this election This is really not OK.
5
In 2016 I registered as a Democrat through the NYS DMV voter registration link after the deadline to be eligible to vote in the primary. It did not matter anyway because my preference never went through.
On July 2nd 2018 I tried again and am waiting for a confirmation from the county board of election. We'll see.
2
How about a reframing here?
Win the primary stay on the ballot
Lose the primary, get bumped.
It's what the machine has done to outsiders forever.
Why should the rules change now?
3
The Constitution gives political parties no role to play in government. Political parties have a right to conduct primaries to determine which candidate they will endorse, but they don’t have a right to determine whose name will appear on the general election ballots. General elections should be conducted as if political parties don’t exist. According to Gallup, 27 percent of voting age Americans are Republicans, 29 percent are Democrats and 43 percent are independent. Not all Americans have acquiesced to rule by political party. General election ballots printed at taxpayer expense should not list party affiliation.
12
This editorial is a far more complete recounting than the earlier NYT story, but it's missing the data - the numerical reason the nonsensical election law is dangerous:
Ocasio-Cortez got 15,897 votes in the primary - that's 57.5% of the primary vote, but it's only 6.7% of the 235,745 Democratic voters in her congressional district.
If Crowley's voters show up in November, it will be a slaughter - of both Ocasio-Cortez, and the primary process overall.
I'm no expert in election law by any means, but it seems that when a candidate loses in the primary, their names should drop off the general election ballot. If they want to come back as a third-party candidate, they should be required to submit a new petition to be a valid 3rd party candidate. That way, petition signers will be fully aware of the risk of having a third-party candidate on the ballot when they signed the petition.
46
If she got 6.7% of the voters in the Democratic party, that means 90% of the party may not be interested in her. That is very telling.
Maybe she should address the issues instead of whining.
7
If Democrats don't respect the voting process primary results, how can we say that the GOP should?
Crowley's voters didn't care to show up for him - while Ocasio-Cortez just won in a neighboring district as a write-in candidate. If she loses because of Democratic Party and Crowley gamesmanship, it bodes poorly for Democrats in November and in 2020.
It takes all kinds of Democrats to make a healthy party - and we need to stop the infighting between centrist candidates and more progressive candidates (who would have been seen as regular Democrats back before the GOP started going alt-right with Reagan, then Gingrich et al). This district is more progressive - and that is healthy - Conor Lamb's district is more centrist, and that's healthy too. The goal is to get the GOP out of office in 2018 and 2020 - focus.
I still am baffeled by the fact that we americans allow these private corporations (parties) to put their brands on our ballots. I feel like a base requirement of a good system might be knowing the names of who you are voting for, not whether they are red or blue.
Or lets just go with "they'll fix it"
3
Reading Ms. Ocasio-Cortez tweet it sounds like she has a case of sore winner. If I didn't despise republicans so I'd wish she would lose in November.
19
Give me a break. She’s young and inexperienced, and is probably genuinely afraid that Crowley is trying to do a number on her candidacy. If her tweet was incorrect, she should apologize. But the idea that she’s proven herself to be a power-hungry careerist who doesn’t really care about the principles that she espouses is ridiculously uncharitable.
3
Dear Governor Cuomo - It seems that you have no interest in trying to change New York's embarrassing laws. But, in this election year why not do what you are doing with other issues you have failed to address until this year. Offer intelligent, progressive changes like enabling early voting! Wake up Governor! It might be appealing to voters.
5
Democracy should not run at the crooked whims of "machine" politics or politicians who run those "machines". This seems to be an obvious, spiteful attempt to kneecap Ocasio-Cortez.
What could be a better illustration that we need new public servants across the board? It's time to do away with these crony boys club political hacks (of any party) and elect an array of diverse, vibrant, energized politicians who seek elected office as a way to improve their communities and help their constituents.
7
He can NOT remove himself from the ballot without either moving, dying, or committing election fraud.
He did NOT run under the Working Peoples Party, his name was written in, and so because he received the most votes, he is automatically added to the ballot, he did NOT chose this.
He wants to go, this was just not his fault and he has no real means to fix it due to the election laws.
The only way to remove his name is if he dies, if he moves or if he commits election fraud.
That's not his fault, stop blaming him.
4
Great comment, but fact is, this is not at all Crowley's fault.
He was added to a party he didn't chose to run under, and now he has no legal way to remove his name, as there are only 3 ways his name can be removed, if he dies, if he moves, or if he commits election fraud.
It seems a lot of people did not read the piece.
3
Why can't these dying establishment Democrats just go away. In another year, I expect Hillary Clinton to announce that she's willing to take up the challenge again if asked nice (or not). Or, Clinton, Inc. will fund the campaign of yet another loser. Progressives are wave of the future. Get over it.
26
If the old fellow had thrown his support to Clinton, we would not now have this backwards anti-progressive government. It's fine to campaign and run on various issues, but keep in mind that getting the GOP out is critical to saving this country from disaster.
2
“If the old felow had thrown his support to Clinton” what old fellow would that be? By my recollection Bernie Sanders endorsed Clinton and also campaigned for her. In addition he turned down the Green Party nomination because he didn’t want to split the anti-Trump vote. Perhaps Representative Crowley should be more like Bernie than you think.
Yes, Bernie did endorse Hillary --- and after all the nonsense that went on during the Dem. primaries. I was with Sanders. Hillary's behavior during the primaries, and afterwards, forced me to do the inconceivable: I didn't vote for anyone for president. That was my way of penalizing Clinton for poor sportsmanship. Who knew she did such a poor job of campaigning that she lost key states --- states she snubbed as 'fly-over' states.
Even SNL caught on. See the Kellyanne-Anderson Cooper skit.
I'm not a New Yorker and I don't know the candidates that well, but...
Say "Abolish ICE" and I want to stand up and cheer. But when I see the shallow, baseless personal attacks, the vindictiveness, the self-centered arrogance of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, I'm deeply troubled and personally turned off.
Mr. Crowley treated her with class and got just the opposite in return. Whether this is a calculated way to draw people to herself à la Trump, or whether it's the way she always acts, I don't know, and I'm not sure it matters.
Those who seek power are least fit to hold it. Plato said something close to that, and there are similar sayings in other cultures with other languages. Sadly, I see Ms. Ocasio-Cortez as someone who wants power and is happy to use her attractiveness and personal appeal to destroy anyone whom she thinks is in her way.
To those who will attack me for saying the above: Yes, I hold men to that standard as well.
I am glad I'm not in that district. I don't have to decide between voting for the policies she claims to support and voting for a person whom I would not trust to have our best interests at heart in the end.
19
Give me a break. She’s young and inexperienced, and is probably genuinely afraid that Crowley is trying to do a number on her candidacy. If her tweet was incorrect, she should apologize. But the idea that she’s proven herself to be a power-hungry careerist who doesn’t really care about the principles that she espouses is ridiculously uncharitable.
1
As a judge of six union elections I will take a mechanical tabulation machine over electronic voting, and paper ballots over the machine. I have no idea what’s going on inside an electronic machine—I can throughly test, reset and test again a mechanical machine and certify its functionality. Paper ballots leave no ambiguity, over-vote, under-vote, no vote, it’s all right in front of me and my board. We canvass with observers from all sides to everyone’s satisfaction.
15
How come Joseph Crowley is running on behalf of the Working Families Party, but also ran in the Democratic primary? I would have liked the article to elaborate more on this crucial technical point.
11
The Times makes no mention in this editorial of the fact that NYS has two primaries - one for the state-wide offices (in September) and one for the Federal offices (in June)?
Why require primary voters to come to the polls twice, three months apart? Are they actively trying to discourage voter participation?
64
I had to read this article twice.
The Election Laws in New York State and how
they are carried out in New York City
seem to fall under the "Voting Rights Act"
in terms of violations of fair and representative
elections.
Who would have thought "New York, New York"
would out do Shelby, Alabama in violations of
citizens right to vote?
29
Does anyone seriously think the state government will reform election laws?
The paralysis - at the state and national level - to improve basic living standards and the tenets of democracy is such that I've lost faith that anything of substance can be done.
5
Crowley is running on the Working Families Party and claims that it would be unduly onerous for him to have his name removed from the ballot. He also is withdrawing his statement that he will campaign for her. This makes things complicated.
28
Given Crowley's own explanation, that appearing on the ballot for an office he has no intention of holding would be akin to fraud, than I have to assume that he either (a) intends to campaign against Ocasio-Cortez, or (b) is guilty of election fraud by his own definition. He absolutely can -- and must -- get off the ballot.
18
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, you won the primary race and will be the Democratic candidate in November. Take Mr. Crowley’s word for it that the race is over. He will not run against you in the 14th Congressional District because the voters there have spoken quite emphatically, given your wide margin of victory over him.
The last thing Democrats need is intra-party sniping. That’s what Republicans are doing because they don’t have a clue as to how to govern. Your win ushered in a breath of fresh air to a party that needed it and can be a template for the big November push across the country. Try not to spoil a good thing.
32
It does not sound likely that the State Legislature or the Governor will spend anytime trying to rectify these onerous election laws. What kind of Democtacy is the State of New York?
It should not require any voter to wait a year to change their party affiliation nor to make it hard to register to vote.
It smells of corruption. This editorial is a reminder of how the GOP operates. I though New York was a Democratic State.
8
She reacted like a middle-schooler who got a frowny-face on her feed.
You don't conduct politics via Twitter - as Trump has amply demonstrated and you need friends to be successful.
Is this really where we find ourselves in politics?
32
I don't remember the Times taking a similar position in 1980 when Jacob Javits lost the primary to D'Amato, but insisted on running on the Liberal Party ticket. As I recall, you endorsed him.
29
The decent thing for Ocasio-Cortez to do, is to apologize for her language in the quoted tweet. She and her team got it wrong and unfairly attacked the incumbent, who has been nothing but gracious in defeat.
If she lacks the basic decency to admit when she is wrong, then she is undeserving of the up and coming superstar billing that she is receiving.
39
I do wonder if she's being held to a different standard because she's a young woman.
6
Yes, it absolves her from having to be courteous.
1
I am not concerned since Ocasio-Cortez is so popular that she won the primary in not only her own district, but TWO districts. (one district over via a write in campaign)
The policies are what matter, and a vast majority of the electorate is hungering for true Progressive/Liberal policies championed by unwavering leaders that are not going to back down to anyone. (in particular right of center corporate blue dogs within the Democratic party)
Bring on the election. We are ready for change !!
10
Why can't he move out of state long enough to get his name off the ballot? Surely he has a friend in NJ or CT that would lend him a room for enough time for him to register to vote and drive in another state.
2
I believe he lives in DC? But may keep NY as his primary residence.
Some arguing between Democrats may be good.
It might just generate more interest for media play.
Trump is the master at this. He has the power of NO.
Right or wrong, he makes the news, and he saturates the media.
It could be the Ocasio-Cortez and Crowley are playing this game,
to get constant media attention. Democrats must stay in the news.
VVVVVVVVVVV Democratic Victory in the House VVVVVVVVVV
3
One would hope that Joe Crowley, as Democratic Party Chairman of Queens, will formally endorse Ocasio-Ortiz and campaign with his party's elected candidate in his district. For the good of his party and hers.
6
It is the height of hypocrisy (after reading this editorial) for NYC and NYS politicians to criticize the current Ohio Secretary of State for trying to create an orderly early voting set up here.
4
The old b'hoys club doesn't want to throw in the towel and they don't get much older than the descendents of St Tammany.
6
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez would do well to shed her millenial sorry/not sorry-brashness, now that she has the seat. There are many centrist dems willing to sit and let the way-lefties carry her water in the district. Luckily for her, her path to congress is pretty much a done deal.
8
Way lefties? You mean the way the Democratic Party used to be before the neoliberals took over.
1
20% of the ultra left liberals nominated Ocasio-Cortez,the rest sat out the primary.A Republican has no chance in this district.Maybe during a general election Crowley is the choice.The district might be better served by an experienced left leaning Crowley than a radical neophyte.
18
It sounds like AOC learned her political skills from Trump.
Why does everybody jump on twitter anytime there is a perceived problem?
32
Is Andrew Cuomo or any other top elected official calling for legislation to modernize NY voting laws? This is egregious.
4
Look on the bright side, having Mr. Crowledy's name on the ballot will give Ms Cortez the opportunity to flesh out her positions, and for NY voters to get to know her better.
6
Dear New York, this is 2018. Time to enter the 21st century.
5
Why doesn’t he run as a 3rd party candidate?
4
"a well-known election lawyer, said New York’s election laws are “extremely, uniquely peculiar.”
Sounds more like "uniquely dumb". Here in the deep south, Georgia, we have early voting, including Saturday's.
I just remembered, back in 1974 we moved from VA to Saratoga Springs, bought a house. At the closing every party had to have a lawyer, two banks, the sellers and us. We were outnumbered by attorneys. In Virginia, no lawyers unless you wanted one. We didn't.
You really need to work on that Statehouse New York.
4
Why is Crowley on the Working Family Party line to begin with? I thought they claim to be progressives. Are they hypocrites or incompetents?
5
The Times appears to be concerned that voters in the 14th won't be able to decide who they want to represent them if there are too many names on the ballot.
14
I have lived in both Colorado and NYS. There is absolutely no comparison between the two. NY makes it difficult to vote absentee, makes it less convenient to vote, and has ridiculously high campaign finance limits. Colorado has low limits, both early voting and voting by mail. Turnout for general elections hovers around 80%, versus less than 50% in NY. Governor Cuomo calls NY the most progressive state in the country. It is very far from that in elections and campaigns.
24
I'm tired of being told that wanting universal healthcare, affordable higher education, and living wages makes one extreme. It does not. Those things are not only humane, they actually make economic sense.
139
This was meant to be a response to a comment stating that moderate leftists might sit out due to OC's extreme views.
5
" .. Those things are not only humane, they actually make economic sense."
OK. Bernie Sanders has had 25 years to provide the "economic" numbers involved.
He hasn't. Why? Hates math?
Keep it up, A.O.C. You're helping make the (D) a minor national party. Thank you.
6
Of course it is extreme. All positions consistent and sensible. A moderate could not live with something wacky in the mix, preferably being curiously convenient for some special interests.
If NY wants to follow a few states like Maine (recently) to ensure elected officials reflect the will of the people, it should move towards Ranked Choice Voting. RCV allows for third and fourth party candidates to challenge the status quo without splitting the vote where the third choice candidate wins (twice in a row in Maine--ugh LePage) and the majority are not represented.
15
I'm so sorry you and your state are held hostage by that racist idiot; and of course I want RCV, as do all New Yorkers who know what's good for 'em.
I take issue with calling him third choice, or of any ordinal for that matter, though. LePage would be well disqualified in a developed country that cared for its residents...but this is America.
I'm curious if it's true he failed to 'show up' for three scheduled concession calls.
I also wonder how 'onerous' it could possibly be for him to have his name removed.
My guess is that a party cannot remove a name unless the person dies, moves, etc. But it's hard to imagine they won't remove a name per that person's request.
3
It appears to this outsider that a democratic system must permit minor parties to contest elections and that those parties can choose their candidates as they like. It is unfortunate that Mr Crowley can remain on the ballot as a third party candidate, but that's how democracy works.
I think that the electorate can only benefit if Ms Ocasio-Cortez has to work a little harder for her office.
5
That misses the point. Crowley ostensibly doesn't want to run as a third-party candidate; he took the WFP endorsement because he expected to win the Democratic one as well. He should be able to drop out but the laws don't permit that and WFP isn't being permitted to unchoose the candidate.
16
Back during the 1980 New York senate race, I remember that Republican incumbent Jacob Javits was defeated in the primary by Al D'Amato, but that Javits remained on the November ballot since he was endorsed by the now-defunct Liberal Party. As a consequence, he drew votes away from Democratic candidate Elizabeth Holtzman and the least qualified candidate D'Amato won.
38
Thanks for reminding me of Elizabeth Holtzman. She would have been a great Senator.
Read the article. He has only 3 legal choices, and they are all bad. "It's the law."
6
All true. As a New Yorker, I watch in amazement as my state falls to the end of the line in election integrity, by which I include making it easy to vote.
3
LOL. This could not happen in California. After multiple articles complaining about California's top two primary system, NOW you admit that NY is a mess? Many states have better voting systems and primary rules. A series of reforms, including top two, have made the California legislature highly functional. The real test is -- can NY find a way to make a functional legislature, or will it continue to fall behind the rest of the country.
12
The Times can't see the forest for Ocasio-Cortez trees.
No election laws are perfect. Here in California they've been renovated, and it's good, not great. Somehow someone always is disadvantaged. Change them in NY, but that won't prevent something else with an equivalent level of pain happening.
What's really going on? Ocasio-Cortez panicked. Crowley made 100% clear he conceded. She's young. Mistakes happen. All she has to do is stop. Gracefully work with Crowley.
If she doesn't, then it's a problem. People think she's too popular, so that won't matter. Exactly why Republicans don't criticize Trump. They say only her policies matter, exactly why Evangelicals overlook Trump's character.
Right wing or left, it does matter.
45
Ocasio may have overreacted. However, this is the same Joe Crowley who has a history of shady things when it comes to election.
He has the history of the following
-He first got his seat, the former guy vacating his seat and appointing Crowley at the last minute (playing with legal loopholes).
-Democratic primary challengers, have a restrict signature timeline to get on ballot. Crowley would sue them (since he is the head chair of the Queens and has the power to appoint judges), so they would lose money and fold their campaigns. (which is why he never had a primary for 14 years)
-Played a huge part in having ridiculous closed primaries in NY, so there would be low turnout.
-Got caught red handed for trying to move polling locations that are majority latinos, during his race against Ocasio-Cortez
-On election day, Crowley violated many rules (putting signs in polling places, and having people take Ocasio's signs and putting them on trees so she would get fined)
-Went to a republican lobbyist firm to help finance his campaign.
-Right now the WFP leader asked him to remove his name from the ballot and he refused. All he has to do his change his location (SINCE HE LIVES IN VIRGINIA the past +10 years!)
So yes, Ocasio-Cortez has right to be incredibly suspicious of him.
1
The office Joe Crowley has held as a gift given to him by Tom Manton may have been "easy come," but it is obvious that it will not be "easy go." If Joe won't go, perhaps the Working Families Party will do the right thing, respect the wishes of the voters and support the legitimate victor in the election.
13
If she keeps texting with a Big-Gulp in the crook of an arm as she crosses New York streets, Crowley probably won’t need to worry about her too much longer. And the Big-Gulp probably will tick off Bloomberg, who is handing out serious change to Democratic hopefuls who wouldn’t be seen dead with a Big-Gulp in hopes of attracting some of that cash.
I’ve been reading the New York Times every day now for over forty years. It seems to me that the most recurrent theme over all those years, evident particularly as elections approach, is the contempt in which the state’s election laws are held by the editoriat. Uh … how’s all that contempt been working out for ‘ya?
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez either knew the rules before she tossed her iPad into the ring, or certainly should have – just as Al Gore should have known the rules in 2000 as he lost an election by them … maybe (Dubya still was ahead when the counting of questionable ballots ceased by judicial order). The time to complain about those rules is not AFTER they inconvenience you, but before.
Granted, in New York there probably are people who have built doctoral dissertations on the comical complexity of the state’s voting laws; so, like the ACA over eight years ago, we can forgive a pol not knowing what’s in either. But you’re still bound by them.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez will be elected, because the Democratic and Republican lines are the first displayed, and the district’s voters overwhelmingly have no doubt about which they prefer.
10
I see my state (Washington) as having one of the best systems. We vote by mail, ballot post marked (or taken to a local library) election day or earlier. Our primaries are all top-two. Our rate of fraud is quite low. Our participation is quite high.
Break the party machine, New York, and enfranchise your citizens. Give the power back to the people, not the bosses.
141
New York does give power to the people. We just have a robust third party system. Third parties stay on the ballot by obtaining votes, there’s nothing undemocratic about their presence. You just don’t like this outcome because your preferred candidate has to work harder to win the general election. Whether she wins or loses in November, that’s the voter’s decision.
Voting in New York is easy. Polls are open from 6 am to 9 pm. We don’t have voter ID laws. The polling sites are numerous and often ghost towns. At my site, there are often 20 poll workers but only a few voters at any given time. I’ve never had to wait or line up to vote. And it’s easy to ask in advance if you want an absentee ballot. People just miss the absentee deadline and don’t bother going in person.
3
Voting in New York state is atrocious. Why doesn't Andrew Cuomo prioritize voting reform, especially in an era when the arcane and undemocratic Electoral College has reminded us of the need to strengthen democracy writ large? My hope is that a new generation of non corporate progressives like Cortez, Teachout, Sanders et al break the moribund Democratic institution and create a movement for the people.
68
It's time for Andrew Cuomo to take on voting reform. I know that he cares about the future of NYC. It's time for a change.
1
It would be a true disaster if the moderate left leaning independents decide to sit out this one or swing to the other side, given Ms. AOC's various extreme positions, wouldn't it?
25
Extreme positions you say? Yeah health care for all which at least 11 other countries have is sooo extreme. NOT!
And that no one should be too poor to live, and help
for the elderly and a living minimum wage. Look at what corporations get and the oligarchs! Yeah it seems extreme that the rest of us besides the one percent and corporations should actually thrive, because we have been brainwashed by the wealthy that we who work hard do not deserve very much. And most of our politicians who are bribed to keep us down and out, the greedy pigs, have great health care but alas their donors do not want us to have the same. Extreme, my Aunt Fanny! Wake up and smell your rights! And BLESS MS. AOC as you call her for sticking up for all of us, even if some of us buy into the we do not deserve it propaganda, propagated by big business and the one percent
22
There's no chance a republican would beat out a democrat in this district -- unless, of course, the vote was split by meddling corporate democrats!
5
The only people that think her positions are extreme are the extreme right wing nuts.
3
Not a New Yorker, obviously, but I am inclined to take Mr. Crowley at his word. He has nothing to gain regardless of his course. This is a teapot tempest.
For what it's worth, I laud Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and would vote for her in a heartbeat. Democrats here in Texas could use a heaping dose of her fire.
50
A system that puts a candidate on the ballot without a mandate is a broken system. Sadly, there are lots of systems in our country where the will of the people is overridden by arcane rules - like the system in which Hillary Clinton received 2.9 million more votes than Trump.
101
" .. Hillary Clinton received 2.9 million more votes than Trump."
In NYC. The rest of the country despises HRC and her goofy hubby.
A.O.C. sells in NYC. Nowhere else.
In 1981, New York election laws allowed Ed Koch to run for mayor on both the Democratic and Republican ballot lines. That was much more of a charade than Joe Crowley's antics in 2018.
New York's election laws have needed reform for many, many years.
31
Ms Ocasio-Cortez's bright light is going to lead democrats into oblivion if they follow it down the socialist rabbit hole. its one thing for a single congressional district to hit a home run into deep left field, but quite another for the entire party to camp out there.
12
Crowley lost in Democratic primary and will not be on the ballot under that party, but he didn't lose as third-party candidate. The real problem here is allowing weak parties getting on the ballot, who don't have the principle or support to field their own candidates but piggyback on whoever they think is going to win. The chief of this third-party says he called Crowley to find a way (with unethical methods) to get him off, as if he is doing the right thing. If his and his party's support is based on whether he wins Democratic Party's primary, then what is the use for them to be on the ballot? Election reform should start with weeding out these weak parties if they don't have independent strength.
7
She won every demographic. Young, old. White, black, Asian, Hispanic, every income, and gender.
3
The girl from the Bronx, Alexandria Ocasio-Ortiz, surprised everybody and trounced the out-of-touch machine once and she'll do it again in November. She's real, she's inspiring, she knows her district, she's a fighter and she's smart as a whip.
7