On April 23, the New York State Senate is holding a hearing in Buffalo to hear Law Professor James Gardner make the case for many election law reforms, including easing the deadline for a voter to switch parties and still vote in the primary of the new party. See this news story.
Currently, New York has the nation’s most restrictive law on timing for voters to switch political parties. If a voter in New York wants to vote in the Republican Party primary in September 2010 (for example), and that voter is currently a member of another qualified party, then that voter must switch to the Republican Party by October 9, 2009. Thanks to Gary Popkin for that date.
Richard:
USCA 2nd Circ. Docket 07-3118
An on submission motion hearing in the related enrollment black box matter in Van Allen v Cuomo on Wednesday April 29th. Also, and the primary issue of the subject motion, is creating the first totally “opportunity to ballot” elected county committee (Ulster County) of the IPNY (Independence Party of NY). If and once successfully in place, this NYS based “independent voter empowerment project” will go nationwide.
Another related issue to this motion is the independent voter’s participation in judicial deleagate nominating convention process — see SCOTUS oral argument in Lopez-Torres case.
Wow! That’s pretty bad. It shouldn’t be any more than 90 days and any less than 30 days.
USDC-EDNY Gleeson did over rule the lock-box at least briefly in the year the greens and rtl lost ballot status — but only to extent that they were still accounted for and allowed to still be registered as Green or RTL as well as LP and MRP. But all of these non-ballot access “parties” are still “other” equal to non-enrolled as far as treatment by the enrollment lock-box and being able to change enrollment to vote in a primary the same year. Of oourse any ballot access party could invite non-enrolled voters and while not yet tested in court all “others” into their primary without the “other” or non-enrolled voter having to actually have had their enrollment status change and become effective once the enrollment lock-box was opened. — Sound confusing enough?