The Messenger, Thursday, December 12, 2002 (also the Ronkonkoma Review and
The Medford News and The Brookhaven Review)

MacKay Wants to Open Up State Primaries
By Josh Broxton


Rocky Point-In a move that could send shockwaves through New York’s
political system, the Independence Party State Chairman, Frank MacKay, wants
to open his party’s statewide primaries to include the more than 2.2 million
voters that do not have any party affiliation. New York’s registered
“blank” voters make up the third largest group of voters in the State.

The Independence Party has approximately 260,000 members – and the
initiative to open the party’s primaries to the state’s unaffiliated voters
could substantially increase its power base.

MacKay plans to bring the idea before the party’s State Committee for a vote
at its next meeting in February. According to MacKay, he expects he will
garner enough support for the plan. “I’m confident that our party will
welcome blank voters to participate in our statewide primary elections.
They are true independents and we want them to know they have a home with
us,” he stated at a recent press briefing. He also indicated that lawsuits
and resistance from New York’s major parties may be obstacles to its
immediate implementation. The Independence Party has become a major force
in New York’s political landscape and, MacKay added, “any time independents
are giving more opportunities to exercise their political muscle, our
democracy becomes stronger.”

Nonetheless, the proposition has created a buzz around the State since in
was announced two weeks ago. The New York Times, the Buffalo News, the
Albany-Times Union and the Associated Press have all run stories about the
initiative and the issue has a broad base of support around the country
according to MacKay.

“We did not create this issue”, MacKay said, “We are simply responding to a
call from independents across the state and around the country. Our party
is subservient to the independent movement. The movement dictates to us. It
certainly isn’t the other way around,” stated MacKay.

If successful in its move to invite unaffiliated voters to vote in its
statewide primaries, the Independence Party of New York would be a leader in
the ballot access movement nationwide. It is already the largest organized
third party in the nation.