NY Gov. Hochul Signs Political Party Disenrollment Bill into Law
By: Joseph T. Burns
On December 19, 2025, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law bill S.7111-A/A.7862-A, a bill empowering the state committees of political parties, under certain circumstances, to initiate proceedings to disenroll members of the party.
A disenrollment is the process by which a political party expels an enrolled member of its party. Political parties can seek to expel an enrolled member when the member is believed to be out of sympathy with the principles of the party.
Under the process established by the Election Law, a complaint is made against an enrolled party member challenging his or her enrollment. A hearing is then held by the party to determine if the voter is in sympathy with the principles of the party. If the voter is found to not be in sympathy with the party, a proceeding may be instituted in New York State Supreme Court to have the voter’s enrollment in the party cancelled by the local Board of Elections. If the court finds that the disenrollment proceeding was “just,” the Board of Elections will be ordered to cancel the voter’s enrollment in his or her political party.
The bill signed into law by Gov. Hochul allows the state committee of political parties to appoint an individual or committee to conduct disenrollment proceedings in counties that do not have organized county committees. Until this change in the Election Law, disenrollments could only be heard by county chairs of political parties or committees appointed by county chairs of political parties. Disenrollments were, therefore, not possible in counties where a party had not organized a county committee and elected a chair of the county party.
The proposal is widely seen as a giveaway to the Working Families Party (WFP), one of New York State’s two recognized minor parties. Unlike New York’s other recognized political parties, the WFP has no organized county committees, making it impossible for the WFP to conduct disenrollment proceedings and expel party members it believes to be disloyal. This new law changes that and empowers the WFP state committee to play a part in the disenrollment of party members.
While disenrollments are rare, they are not uncommon. In recent years, the Conservative Party, New York’s other minor political party, has been involved in disenrollment proceedings and lawsuits in Monroe and Erie Counties. While disenrollment proceedings can be time-consuming and expensive, they can also be effective tools for political parties and party leaders to police their ranks.
Party leaders should be aware of the disenrollment process and seek advice from experienced legal counsel before initiating any disenrollment proceedings. Voters facing charges of being out of sympathy with their political party should also seek advice from attorneys who are well-versed in this process.
This new law signals a renewed interest by New York’s political players in the disenrollment process. Empire State politicos are very likely to see an uptick in disenrollment proceedings in the years ahead.
