So I go online this morning to download a voter registration form for my daughter who is turning 18 at the end of January, and thus ought to be able to vote in the NY presidential primary on Feb 5.
Check out what the NY State Board of Elections FAQ page says about the next primary election date:
When is the next election?
The next Primary Election is September 18, 2007. The next General Election is November 6, 2007. For more information regarding filing or registration dates or deadlines refer to the Political Calendar. (2007 Political Calendar will be available in the spring of 2007)
Same with trying to figure out the voter registration deadline if you go to the voter registration deadline page:
This is pathetic!! I’m sure Governor Eliot Spitzer has more important things to worry about than making sure we have a functioning democracy, but surely some functionary at the state board of elections ought to respond to this problem, and fast?
In fact, if you want to figure out if someone is eligible to vote in a particular state’s primary, and what the deadline is for registering…good luck. I had to download a seven-page pdf titled Presidential Primary – Feb. 5, 2008 – Plans and Calendar – Amended, and then read the fine print on the top of page 7 to learn that completed registration forms had to be postmarked no later than 25 days before the primary and received no later than twenty days prior–in other words, mailed by January 11 and received by January 16. But I’m still not sure if my daughter, who doesn’t turn 18 in 2007, is eligible to vote in the 2008 primary. We’re just going to mail in the form and see.