To: Eric Schneiderman, Attorney General and Governor Andrew Cuomo

Make NY an open primary

Although the primary is on April 19, the deadline for changing one's party affiliation was all the way back in October - 6 months ago! This is unfair and is suppressing the right to vote in NY. Please change the restriction and allow an open primary.

Why is this important?

There are many many voters in NY state who would like to vote in the heavily contested Democratic primary, especially independents, but the deadline for changing registration was over 6 months ago - long before the presidential campaign was in full swing, and they are being disenfranchised through no fault of their own. As long as a voter is legitimately registered in NY, he or she should be allowed to vote in the primary of their choice - or at least be given a chance to think about it before settling on a party preference. The primary should either be changed from closed to open, or voters should be allowed same-day registration.