Just as polls were closing on Election Day, the New York Civil Liberties Union and others filed a lawsuit challenging an aspect of New York’s voting regulations.
The NYCLU, American Civil Liberties Union and law firm Latham & Watkins filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging New York’s 25-day voter registration cutoff. They allege that the cutoff arbitrarily disenfranchises tens of thousands of eligible voters. Executive director of the NYCLU Donna Lieberman says it is well-past time to fix the outdated voting laws that have left New York lagging behind on voting rights. She says that in the 2016 presidential election, more than 93,000 New Yorkers were unable to vote because they registered after the deadline. New York ranks 47th in voter registration rates nationwide.