The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), together with LatinoJustice PRLDEF and the law firm of Dechert LLP, filed suit in federal court in New York on Wednesday on behalf of Common Cause New York to restore the voting rights of millions of New Yorkers ahead of the 2018 election.
The suit against the New York State Board of Elections alleges that certain eligible but “inactive” voters are improperly removed from poll books throughout New York State in violation of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). This causes the disenfranchisement of New Yorkers who are incorrectly told by poll workers that they are not eligible to vote or forced to vote an affidavit ballot rather than a regular ballot. The NVRA, however, precludes removal of eligible voters from the voting rolls unless they fail to respond to a postcard from election officials seeking to verify their address and also fail to vote in two consecutive federal election cycles.