You are reading

Op-Ed: I Want You to Have a Voice This Election Season

Voters cast their ballot at a polling site in Queens on Election Day Nov. 3, 2020. (Michael Appleton/ Mayoral Photography Office)

Feb. 10, 2021 Op-Ed By Brent O’Leary

Do you want to have a say as to who the next mayor is—or who your next city council member will be?

If so, I urge you to check your party registration and make sure you are registered as a Democrat. The deadline to do so is Feb. 14, and I want to make sure you are heard.

Unfortunately, our primary system cuts off the voices of millions of New Yorkers who are not affiliated with a major political party—particularly the Democratic party.

In a blue city like ours, our representatives are typically determined by the outcome of the Democratic Party primaries. Therefore, if you want to have influence on your future representative you should register as a Democrat.

I understand many New Yorkers choose to remain independent when they register to vote, feeling that the Democratic party doesn’t represent their views. I know the Democratic Party is far from perfect.

Photo: Brent O’Leary is a candidate running for the 26th district council seat (Photo: olearyforcouncil)

But by registering as a Democrat, you can help shape the party’s future and take it in a better direction.

While the majority of people are registered as Democrats in New York City, millions are not.

In fact, the second most common party affiliation across our New York City is “blank,” with over one million voters unregistered in a party.

In Queens’ 26th Council District, which I’m running to represent, more than one in five eligible voters are blanks, according to Board of Elections enrollment data. These people will have no power in selecting the candidates who will be in the general election.

In truth, unaffiliated voters aren’t the problem – our state’s closed primary system is what cuts millions out of the democratic process. I support moving to open primaries, but in the meantime, we have to do our best to make the 2021 elections as democratic and representative as possible.

Millions of New Yorkers will be disenfranchised unless they change their party registrations before the upcoming February 14th deadline.

I ask you to add your voice to the process and empower yourself and our community.

If you are not sure about your registration, I ask you check here. If you are not registered as a Democrat, I urge you to do so and register here.

Brent O’Leary is a candidate running in the 26th District Council race. The 26th district includes Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City and parts of Astoria.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Queens Council Members celebrate $2.5 million in funding for AAPI curriculum

Jul. 3, 2025 By Shane O’Brien

Queens Council Members Shekar Krishnan, Linda Lee, Sandra Ung and Julie Won gathered on the steps of City Hall Wednesday afternoon alongside Manhattan Council Member Carlina Rivera to celebrate the “historic” $2.5 million budget investment to support the implementation of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history curriculum in NYC schools.

Woman attacked and strangled in anti-LGBTQ assault in Far Rockaway: NYPD

The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating an anti-LGBTQ attack on a woman in Far Rockaway on the night of Tuesday, June 24, and three suspects remain at large.

The 28-year-old victim was walking in front of 18-26 Village Lane just north of Mott Avenue at around 8:30 p.m. when she was approached by the three men who shouted anti-LGBTQ rhetoric before they punched her multiple times, and one of the assailants placed his hands around her neck, and strangled her into unconsciousness, police said. The three men fled the scene, just down the street from the Rockaway Village development, to parts unknown.

Forest Hills home invasion leaves man hospitalized after brutal assault and robbery: NYPD

Police from the 112th Precinct in Forest Hills are looking for three suspects who beat and robbed a 28-year-old man during a home invasion on the afternoon of Saturday, June 21. The three intruders slipped into an apartment building at 102-40 62nd Ave. at around 4 p.m.

The perpetrators allegedly forced their way into the victim’s apartment, punched him repeatedly in his body with closed fists, and forcibly removed $60 in cash and medication before fleeing the building in an unknown direction, police said Monday. EMS responded to the crime scene and transported the victim to Long Island Jewish Forest Hills, where he was listed in stable condition.