In 2009, the country was in the midst of the Great Recession. Everywhere, states were under fiscal strain, and New York was no exception. But in the spring, Governor Paterson signed a bill colloquially known as the millionaire’s tax, which generated billions in new revenue annually by creating new tax rates for high income earners. New York dealt with the economic crisis by taxing the rich rather than just slashing services and benefits, making it an outlier.

It is tricky to connect electoral systems to policy outcomes, but it is fair to argue that if it weren’t for the Working Families Party, New York would not have raised billions in new revenue in 2009; and if it weren’t for “fusion voting,” the Working Families Party (WFP) would not exist.

New York is one of a handful of states that allows some version of fusion, in which candidates can accept the ballot line of more than one political party. Since 1998, the WFP has used the fusion ballot as a tool to stitch together a complex coalition of labor unions, community organizations, and individual activists. But this week, the New York State Democratic Party moved to make changes to New York ballot access laws, and through those changes, to destroy the Working Families Party.