New Yorkers Have Until Tuesday to Change Political Parties and Vote in Mayoral Primary

   New York voters still have two more days to join the estimated 15,000 New Yorkers who have recently enrolled or re-enrolled as Democrats to be able to vote in the mayoral primary in June.

   Although the 2021 deadline for New Yorkers to change their political parties and register was today, the Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today that New Yorkers now have until Tuesday. The two-day extension, Gov. Cuomo said, was necessary because election boards, which are short-staffed due to the pandemic, needed a bit more time was needed to process changes in voters’ party affiliations. 

   “Today we are extending the period for voters to change their party enrollment until Tuesday, February 16, to help break down more barriers to the ballot box and help ensure everyone has a chance to exercise this fundamental right,” the governor said. “The right to vote is one of the sacred pillars of our democracy, and as we continue to fight the war on COVID, we can’t put democracy on hold.”

    The governor’s extension for New Yorkers to change their political parties comes a month after advocacy group Be Counted NYC, sent to to Republican and Independent voters a flood of letters and texts that urged them to register as Democrats to be able to vote in the party’s mayoral primary and have a voice in whom is elected as New York City’s next mayor.   

   "Many New Yorkers do not realize that the election almost certain to choose the next Mayor is not the November 2021 General Election, but the June 2021 Democratic primary," said a letter from the group that was reported by the New York Post. "Why? Almost 70% of NYC voters are registered Democrats, meaning that whomever wins the Democratic primary will almost certainly become the city’s next mayor. 

    “In 2013, about 3% of New Yorkers voted in the Democratic primary and chose New York City’s mayor for the next 8 years. In a democracy, we are all supposed to have a vote in who leads our government. Will YOU enroll as a Democrat by February 14, 2021 to make sure you can vote in the election that will determine the future of New York City?”