On July 12, a federal lawsuit was filed against a New York state law that says if an independent voter changes his or her registration so as to join a ballot-qualified party, that change cannot be effective until the following year. The case is Van Allen v Cuomo, 1:07-cv-722, northern district.

Bill Van Allen re-registered on April 27, 2007, from independent, to being a member of the Independence Party. But New York state law, uniquely, won’t let him be considered a member of that party until 2008. Therefore, he can’t vote in the September 2007 Independence Party primary and he can’t circulate petitions to help members of that party get on the primary ballot. His lawsuit, if successful, would result in New Yorkers being permitted to join parties without the long waiting period.