I came across this website via Facebook, VoteForBernie.org. It does not appear to be authorized by the Bernie Sanders for President campaign. But it had some useful information.
Among other things, it notes whether one had to be a registered Democrat in one’s state in order to vote for Sanders (or Hillary Clinton, or whomever) in next year’s primary/caucus season. And it would likewise apply to Republicans’ ability to vote for their candidates.
Some states allow for Open Primaries. One could vote for, say, Bernie Sanders, regardless of party registration. In Iowa, caucus voters are able to change party affiliation easily.
Others have Semi-Closed Primaries or Caucuses. These states allow people NOT enrolled in a party to participate in either the Democratic OR Republican primary/caucus, but not both.
The rest, such as New York, are Closed Primary or Closed Caucus states, which means only Democrats can vote for Democratic candidates, and only Republicans for the GOP roster.
The VoteForBernie site also indicates when one must register in order to be eligible to vote in the primaries or caucuses. For most states, it is 30 days or less before the balloting, though, e.g.., it’s two months beforehand in Colorado, and three months in Connecticut. (As of this date, there is one obvious error, which I requested be rectified.)
What is it in New York State, I wondered? The primary is tentatively scheduled for April 19, 2016; when I called the state Board of Elections this week, the person couldn’t say definitely, because of some state action that had not yet happened. But REGARDLESS of the voting date, in order to vote in either the Republican or Democratic Presidential primary in 2016, one must be REGISTERED in THAT party by 25 days before the 2015 general election.
In other words, one must be registered and affiliated with a party by OCTOBER 9, 2015, six full months before the primary. This is, by far, the earliest cutoff date in the country. New Yorkers, you have a little more than a month to register for a party. If you miss the deadline, you WILL NOT BE ABLE TO VOTE for the major party’s candidate for President.