The Empire State is a Democratic Party stronghold and was a vital turning point in the primaries. Yet by the end of April, the New York Democratic primary had the second lowest voter turnout (19.7 percent) of all Democratic primaries, behind Louisiana. Though Hillary Clinton had a comfortable lead in pledged delegates, Sen. Bernie Sanders was experiencing a surge, winning the previous seven out of eight states. A potential win in New York could have proved to be a catalyst for Sanders’ comeback, but the foundation of the New York Democratic Party was not set up in his favor. The primary was constricted by rules that promoted voter suppression, coupled with issues that have yet to be explained or adequately addressed. Some 126,000 voters were inexplicably purged from voter rolls in Brooklyn during the Democratic primary. The New York Attorney General’s Office would not comment on the purge as it is still under investigation. Two election officials, Diane Haslett-Rudiano and Betty-Ann Canizio Aquil, were suspended in the wake of the controversy. But the purge was just one of many issues that arose during the primary, most of which occurred in the New York City area, where Clinton’s victory in the state primary was solidified.
On December 6, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued a press release outlining several issues that arose during the Democratic primary, and then proposed remedies. “The voting issues we uncovered during the April primary were widespread, systemic and unacceptable,” said the release. “The right to vote is the right that protects all other rights. New York must become a national leader by protecting and expanding voting rights throughout the state.”
The New York State Attorney General’s Office received ten times as many complaints during the primaries than in any other election. Two-thirds of those revolved around voting barriers caused by rules, laws, procedures, and practices. The New York Democratic primary is closed off to independent voters. It stipulates a voter must register as a Democrat six months before the primaries in order to become eligible—one of the most restrictive deadlines in the country.
The New York Attorney General’s Office noted many voters were barred because the Board of Election Offices failed to properly process voting registrations, the DMV’s online voter registration system stalled and went offline due to high volume of registration requests before the six-month deadline, and some state agencies failed to transmit voter registration data in time for the primaries. The office also said 20 percent of the complaints they received were due to reduced poll hours and poll precincts moving without informing voters.
Full Article: NY Primary Voter Purge Still Under Investigation Amid Calls For Reform | Observer.