Jane Sanders Calls for Open Primaries, Same-Day Registration in New York

image
Author: Greg Parker
Published: 18 Apr, 2016
Updated: 16 Oct, 2022
2 min read

Jane Sanders, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, called the closed primary system in New York “silly” on MSNBC's Morning Joe. During the interview, she advocated for open primaries and same-day registration.

Sanders expressed concern over the large number of voters who wouldn’t be able to vote for her husband because they weren’t registered with the Democratic Party and didn't re-register by the October 9 deadline when Bernie Sanders or his platform were still relatively unknown to the average voter.

"We have a lot of those—probably a lot of those people out there in the crowd—hopefully a small number, comparatively, are not even able to vote in this election because they didn't change their registration to Democrat last October when they hadn't even heard of Bernie Sanders," Jane Sanders said. "Those kinds of things seem silly. We're bringing a lot more people into the party and the party is shutting the door on them. That seems counterproductive to the long-term goals."

Sanders went on to talk about how she believes her husband will enact fundamental reform if elected president.

"I guess what we've done is keep a very positive outlook and we look forward to changing the system," she said. “If he is the president and the head of the Democratic Party, we'll be changing the system to make it more democratic."

On Thursday, hundreds of voters took to the steps of New York City Hall to protest the closed primary and demand change as frustration and confusion grows leading into Tuesday's primary. Several voters were unaware of the October 9 deadline to change their voter registration information, some of whom confused it with the March 25 deadline for new voters or previously unregistered voters.

The New York Daily News reports that more than 200 New York voters have filed a lawsuit, claiming that the party affiliation on their voter registration changed without their consent. The situation is nearly identical to the problems voters experienced in Arizona, which is also facing lawsuits over long lines and incorrect voter information that prevented tens of thousands of voters from casting a vote in the state's presidential primary.

Latest articles

An electric sign of the American flag.
ABC's Sara Haines Calls Out 'Narrow View' that Independent Voters Can't Exist in Trump Era
American journalist and co-host of ABC’s The View, Sara Haines, refutes the notion that people can't be independent-minded in their election choices in an era in which the Republican Party is controlled by Trump – a perspective voiced by her colleague, Sunny Houstin that Haines describes as “narrow.”...
06 Jun, 2025
-
3 min read
US map divided in blue and red with a white ballot box on top.
Could Maine Be the First State to Exit the National Popular Vote Compact?
On May 20, the Maine House of Representatives voted 76–71 to withdraw the state from the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), reversing course just over a year after Maine became the 17th jurisdiction to join the agreement....
04 Jun, 2025
-
3 min read
New York City
Nine Democrats Face Off in NYC Mayoral Debate as Ranked Choice Voting, Cuomo Probe, and Independent Bid from Adams Reshape the Race
A crowded field of nine Democratic candidates will take the stage tonight, June 4, in the first official debate of the 2025 New York City mayoral primary. Held at NBC’s 30 Rock studios and co-sponsored by the city’s Campaign Finance Board, NBC 4 New York, Telemundo 47, and POLITICO New York, the debate comes at a pivotal moment in a race already shaped by political upheaval, criminal investigations, and the unique dynamics of ranked choice voting....
04 Jun, 2025
-
6 min read