Brennan Center for Justice

Lerman v. Board of Elections

Voting Rights & Elections

In 2001, the Brennan Center represented members of the Independence Party in Staten Island in their effort to strike New York’s petition to witness residency requirement. This requirement, which mandates that individuals collecting signatures for candidates must reside in the candidate’s district, made it extremely difficult for third party candidates and candidates lacking the support of party leadership to get on the primary ballot. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit found the requirement unconstitutional.