On October 27th, Judge Edgar Walker ruled in favor of the County Committee members who recently sued the Brooklyn Democratic Party over a rule that violated state law by removing County Committee members’ ability to vote on Party rules and leadership. The Party now must hold a County Committee meeting virtually within 45 days. 

“In this court's view, KCDCC's purported justification for postponing the committee meeting indefinitely is merely a ruse for the leadership of the Executive Committee to retain their authority," wrote the judge in the ruling.

As conversations about voting rights heat up as we approach the national election, Brooklynites should not ignore what is happening in their own backyard. It is a key democratic principle that no one’s vote can be taken without their consent — but that is exactly what the Party tried to do. 

We are glad that the judge saw this issue for what it was — a deliberate attempt to obstruct democratic processes in order to consolidate power within the Party’s Executive Committee. 

This should raise red flags for all Brooklynites since Brooklyn is essentially a ‘one-party town’ — meaning that the Brooklyn Democratic Party exercises influence over many parts of everyday life for Brooklynites.

For example, when the Executive Committee appoints a leader without community input, they are giving power to someone who lacks the kind of accountability to their community that comes with being voted into office. This is the official who will select poll workers for the election and help ensure the voting process runs smoothly in their District — someone that you would want to be accountable to their constituents. 

Most concerning, this is not the first or only time this year that the Brooklyn Democratic Party has shown their attempts to consolidate power at the expense of the interests of everyday Brooklynites.

From preventing County Committee members from passing resolutions that compel action to interfering with the Democratic Primaries, Brooklyn Democratic Party leadership is deliberately excluding elected County Committee members and everyday Brooklynites from the Brooklyn Democratic Party. 

This needs to change — it’s time that Party leadership is accountable to everyone in the Party, not just their own leadership.