The New York State Democratic Presidential Primary is April 19th, and we are running out of time.

In the days following the major voting registration controversies in Arizona last week, the citizens of New York State have started uncovering issues with their own voting registration records.  Many voters are discovering that their party enrollment has been changed to unaffiliated, or that their registration has been lost altogether.

Beyond this, those who attempted to register for the Democratic Party for the first time, whether before the voter registration deadline (March 25th, 2016) or the party enrollment change deadline (October 9th, 2015) have encountered repeated technical difficulties, lost forms, and conflicting information.

Furthermore, by virtue of being placed six months before the primary, the October 9th deadline has acted as a heavy deterrent to previously unaffiliated voters who have only recently gained interest in joining the Democratic Party due to information gleaned from the Democratic Debates. This is harmful to Democratic recruitment.

These issues need to be addressed.

Section 5-210(f) of the New York State Election Law reads as follows:
"Notice that political party enrollment is optional but that, in order to vote in a primary election of a political party, a voter must enroll in that political party, unless state party rules allow otherwise."

There is not enough time to change this law before the presidential primary, but it is not too late to demand for the New York State Democratic Committee to amend their rules to allow unaffiliated voters to have a voice.

The State Chair of the committee is Former Governor David Paterson, a man who has previously battled for Voting Rights.  The Executive Committee Chair is Sheila Comar.

This petition is to let them know that New York voters are being disenfranchised, and that they have the power to correct injustice and restore faith in the Democratic Party.  You may also contact them here: http://nydems.org/contact/

The New York State Democratic Presidential Primary is April 19th, and we must act now.