2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumHundreds of NY voters to file lawsuit Monday about switched registrations/voter suppression
via Election Justice USA, https://www.facebook.com/ElectionJusticeUSA/?fref=ts
Hundreds of New York state voters to file suit calling the closed primary 'a threat to our democratic system' after claiming their party affiliation mysteriously changed
A national voting rights coalition is railing against New York's closed primary system after hundreds of people eager to vote on Tuesday claim a change on their voter registration will prevent them from casting a ballot, according to a lawsuit to be filed Monday.
At least 200 outraged voters from throughout New York state have joined a lawsuit put together by the advocacy group Election Justice U.S.A., saying the party affiliation on their voter registration changed and now they wont be able to vote because of the closed primary system.
For many of our complainants, to have the electoral process deprived of them, its devastating, Shyla Nelson, an activist and spokeswoman for Election Justice U.S.A., told the Daily News.
New York is one of 11 states that has a closed primary system and, due to an obscure election law, voters must have been registered by November of the previous year for the party whose primary they plan to vote in this is the earliest change-of-party deadline in the country.
The lawsuit which will be filed in Brooklyn federal court calls for New York to become an open primary state, allowing voters of any party affiliation to cast their ballot for the candidate of their choosing.
If the primary were open, this would be a non-issue for thousands of registered voters that have had this happen to them. By making the primary open, it eliminates one of the most vexing problems New Yorkers have dealt with in this primary season, Nelson told The News.
Its a threat to the democratic process.
The closed primary system is intended to prevent party raiding, when voters switch parties en masse to influence their rival party's primary.
But the extra restrictions and early deadlines can leave some people out, even the children of GOP front-runner Donald Trump, who won't be voting in the Republican primary because of what they called an 'onerous' process.
Numerous voters involved in the suit claim they looked up their voter registrations after the deadline passed to find that their party affiliation had changed from Democratic or Republican to Not affiliated or Independent, a switch that will bar them from voting in either primary.
Requests for comment from the New York State Board of Elections were not immediately returned.
Dozens of people vented about the changes to their voter registration on social media.
I have been registered to vote at the same address as a Democrat since 1999, Arleen Haskins wrote on Facebook alongside a photo of a registration form that says she is not involved in a party.
I registered by mail as a first time NY voter (Kings Couny) on the 24th. My registration showed up on the website on Friday but it says Unaffiliated with a party, even though I check Democratic, Sydney Shea posted on a Facebook group for New York voters dealing with voter registration issues.
Some voters involved in the lawsuit who are primarily Democratic also claim they their voter registration had been canceled altogether.
The integrity of the election process is vital to democracy, fumed Cliff Arnebeck, an Ohio-based attorney involved with Election Justice U.S.A. who has litigated against election fraud since 2000.
In the Empire State, the Sanders campaign has publicly slammed the closed primary policy saying it shuts out independent voters and young voters, two groups that would tend to vote for the socialist-leaning candidate.
We have a system here in New York where independents cant get involved in the Democratic primary, where young people who have not previously registered and want to register today cant do it, Sanders said during a rally Wednesday night in Washington Square Park in Manhattan
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/hundreds-ny-voters-file-lawsuit-alleged-voter-fraud-article-1.2603876
RandySF
(59,264 posts)Not the brightest revolutionaries I've seen.
DeadLetterOffice
(1,352 posts)Many people are *just now* finding that they're party registration has been changed.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)making light of voting suppression is not the brightest to do. And this is exactly what this is. You should be outraged, no matter who those voters support. For all I care, they could be supporting a Martian.
Chezboo
(230 posts)and voters are being purged from voter files. How many people check their voter status prior to elections, especially if they haven't changed anything for years? It doesn't have anything to do with being bright. It has to do with fraud, or a staggering number "clerical errors."
RandySF
(59,264 posts)Out millions of NY voters? 200? And how many were probably errors by the voters? Not everything is a conspiracy.
Do you have evidence of this claim? Seems this is the go to excuse when he loses.
berniepdx420
(1,784 posts)the typical hill fan.. and trust me that's no compliment
Cobalt Violet
(9,905 posts)CharlotteVale
(2,717 posts)berniepdx420
(1,784 posts)elleng
(131,136 posts)they should have KNOWN their voter registrations would be switched. How SILLY of them to not anticipate that.
msongs
(67,453 posts)sue the state
DeadLetterOffice
(1,352 posts)msongs
(67,453 posts)Avalux
(35,015 posts)mythology
(9,527 posts)It's a bunch of people who claimed one thing, but offered no proof. Oh and Trump's kids who called changing their party registration onerous.
What reason do I have to assume these are anything more than people who made a mistake?
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)I believe he followed the same procedure to become one that you did. Sorry, you don't make the ruls for the party.
Fawke Em
(11,366 posts)Deal with that.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)malokvale77
(4,879 posts)rule changes happening in Washington right now. Those are meant to help Hillary with her no show delegates.
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)berniepdx420
(1,784 posts)I enjoy a good political argument .. but you never ever add anything remotely close to substance.. bye
TMontoya
(369 posts)It's a bunch of Bernie supporters who didn't bother to register as Democrats in the first place.
Chezboo
(230 posts)malokvale77
(4,879 posts)mythology
(9,527 posts)I'll leave out the petulant insult you tossed at another DUer.
I find claims that can't be verified to be generally pretty dubious on their face.
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)Isn't that true and verified?
I'm guessing instead that you meant to call the hundreds of people that you don't even know liars. Am I correct?
Cobalt Violet
(9,905 posts)I haven't seen one hillbot stand up for against voter suppression or just about any other republican thing. The only difference betwwen hillbots and republicans is abortion. That's it. other than that they agree on pretty much everything else. Two peas in a pod.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)pat_k
(9,313 posts)Great to see he is part of this!
NanceGreggs
(27,818 posts)Out of how many millions of NY voters?
Yeah, this will get a lot of attention.