It's hardest to change your political party in New York

New York State has closed presidential primaries (which isn't that unusual) and it required all party voter registrations to be submitted by October 9, a whopping 193 days before the primary elections today. And that is unusual — so unusual, in fact, that it confers on New York the dubious honor of having the most difficult party change rules of any state in the nation.

In other states with closed primaries, the cut-off date is typically closer to two months, or a third of the time in advance New York requires. In some states, like Wyoming and Maine, the deadline is as close as two weeks before the election, giving independent voters plenty of time to get their paperwork submitted if they're, say, feeling the Bern.

Indeed, this arrangement is poised to hurt Democrat Bernie Sanders and Republican Donald Trump the most, as each has drawn supporters from outside their respective parties — supporters (including two of Trump's children) who probably didn't manage to change their party registration in time. "This is a tough race for us," Sanders acknowledged. "We have a system here in New York where independents can't get involved in the Democratic primary, where young people who have not previously registered and want to register just can't do it."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up