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# TRUTH: 40% of NYC Democrats Aren't Really Democrats | Jeremy Gruber
- URL: https://ivn.us/podcasts/truth-40-of-nyc-democrats-arent-really-democrats-jeremy-gruber/
- Published: 2026-06-25T20:25:34.000Z
- Updated: 2026-06-25T20:25:34.000Z
- Description: We sit down with Jeremy, Senior VP of Open Primaries, to dig into a new IVP/Open Primaries poll of registered NYC Democrats - and what it reveals is wild.
- Author: Independent Voter Podcast
- Tags: Podcast, Independent Voter Podcast, Open Primaries, New York City

Four out of ten registered Democrats in New York City don't actually consider themselves Democrats - they just had no other way to vote. Jeremy Gruber of Open Primaries breaks down the poll that exposes how closed primaries quietly force voters into a party they don't believe in.   
  
We sit down with Jeremy, Senior VP of [Open Primaries](https://openprimaries.org/?ref=ivn.us), to dig into a new IVP/Open Primaries poll of registered NYC Democrats - and what it reveals is wild. Jeremy lays out "the big lie" about open vs. closed primaries, why \~40% of NYC Democrats (and two out of three Latino Democrats) don't identify with the party they're registered in, and how a 10% turnout primary ends up deciding who actually runs the city. Then Jeremy lays out why almost everyone - the media, secretaries of state, even civil rights groups - has the importance of primaries exactly backwards.

**This episode is sponsored by the** [**Independent Voter Project**](https://independentvoterproject.org/?ref=ivn-news.ghost.io) **and produced by** [**Olas Media**](http://olasmedia.com/?ref=ivn-news.ghost.io)**. Listen on** [**Spotify**](https://open.spotify.com/show/1VnqtqjZh9EbmDtVxvHF3R?ref=ivn-news.ghost.io) **or** [**Apple Podcasts**](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/independent-voter-podcast/id1680559155?ref=ivn-news.ghost.io)**.** 

## Episode Highlights

In this episode of the **Independent Voter Podcast**, Shawn, Cara, and Ethan sit down with special guest **Jeremy Gruber**, Senior Vice President of **Open Primaries**. The conversation centers on a groundbreaking **IVC Media poll** conducted in **New York City** that exposes a critical flaw in the **closed primary system**: nearly **40% of registered Democrats** don't actually identify with the **Democratic Party**.

These voters are registered with the party solely to participate in what is effectively the only election that matters in a one-party city. With over **1.2 million independent voters** locked out of **New York City primaries**, Gruber argues that **closed primaries** don't protect party integrity—they force **independent voters** and unaffiliated voters to misrepresent their identity just to exercise a basic **voting right**. 

It is a dynamic he calls the "big lie" of the **open vs. closed primary** debate.

The episode dives deep into **low voter turnout** in **partisan primaries**, with New York's most recent primary drawing only **10% turnout**—meaning highly organized factions like **Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)** candidates wield outsized influence in **primary elections**.

Gruber and the hosts draw comparisons to **semi-open primary** reforms in **Washington DC** — [where the DC Council recently voted to fund **Initiative 83**](https://ivn.us/independent-voters-win-dc-council-votes-to-fund-semi-open-primaries/) — and to **New Mexico's open primary** rollout, where even after the system opened, **voter education** failures by election officials left independents unaware they could participate. 

But California's **nonpartisan top-two primary** offers a model for reform, noting that the **Independent Voter Project (IVP)** ran a [**no party preference (NPP) voter outreach**](https://ivn.us/californias-most-powerful-voting-bloc-is-the-one-staying-home/) program to drive **primary election turnout** among independent voters.

Gruber stresses the urgent need for **independent voter organizing** and **civic education** to counter a media and civil society ecosystem that continues to prioritize **general election** turnout over **primary election** engagement — despite the fact that **90% of US elections** are decided at the primary stage. 

He emphasizes that **independents are the largest and fastest-growing voter bloc** in America, yet remain largely unorganized and misunderstood. With **Open Primaries** pursuing a multi-pronged strategy of **litigation**, **legislation**, **ballot initiatives**, Gruber makes the case that the **nonpartisan primary movement** is entering a pivotal moment in the fight for **voting rights** and systemic reform.