To the editor:
Political corruption is a bipartisan affair in New York. Part of the reason for that is New York’s electoral system itself, and we have a chance to speak out against that on Election Day.
The outcome of the election has never seriously been in doubt, but this is all the more reason for us to take a stand. Unlike New Jersey, where the state’s leading newspaper told voters to “choke it down” and vote for a corrupt incumbent because at least he was not a Republican, here in New York there is no danger of Mr. Cuomo losing.
This gives us the opportunity to consider a protest vote for one of the minority candidates, or at least casting our vote for Mr. Cuomo on a minority party line. Minority parties have to date proven unable to hold back the tsunami of corruption created by the Democratic and Republican parties, but that can change if there is sufficient support.
Minority parties need to get 50,000 votes for Governor to qualify for automatic party inclusion for the following four years.
It is true that some parties such as the Independence Party have engaged in some sleazy horse-trading over the years, causing legitimate complaints that they are as corrupt as the Democrats and Republicans…if not more so. But it would be a mistake to tar all minority parties with the taint of the Independence Party. There are still a few political activists in New York who don’t believe that we need to continue tolerating Albany corruption and self-dealing.
Voting on any line other than “A” (Democrat) or “B” (Republican) is one step in standing up against the climate of corruption in Albany.
--Paul Steinberg, Croton-on-Hudson
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