Bernie bros are ringing the alarm in New York State, where they allege Gov. Andrew Cuomo is suppressing young and independent voters to keep the Socialist senator from Vermont from prevailing in the primary.

Status Coup, a group of pro-Sanders “journalists,” posted a video report to YouTube posing the question “Are Joe Biden’s Allies Rigging the 2020 Democratic Primary?” with evidence to strongly suggest the affirmative.

Status Coup’s Jordan Chariton explained a law already passed by the New York General Assembly would move the current October deadline for party registration to vote in the 2020 primary to February. As it is now, independents and anyone else who wants to vote are required to choose a party six months in advance to participate in the primary, though few realize it.

Chariton pointed to multiple news reports quoting Cuomo in support of former vice president Joe Biden, who he believes would benefit the most from maintaining the status quo. Sanders, whose campaign is strongly supported by independents, young voters and others less inclined to sign up for a party months before the contest, would benefit the most from a later deadline, he argued.

“It is a voter suppression law to have a deadline over six months before the primary,” Chariton opined. “Nobody – not younger people, older people, independents, people without a party, first time voters that are not Democrats yet – nobody that would consider changing and registering as a Democrat is paying attention right now.

“Nobody knows that the deadline is in October,” he said. “And that is exactly how Governor Andrew Cuomo, Joe Biden, … and the Biden campaign want it.”

Chariton suggested others who benefit from the October registration deadline include Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Kamala Harris, and openly gay South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Sanders performed well in open primaries in 2016, Chariton noted, because he courts independents and non-Democrat voters, who are often among the youngest voting demographic.

“Those people, not going for Joe Biden, frankly,” Chariton said.

According to The Gothamist:

As of now, voters in New York must change their party registration by October 11th, 2019 to participate in the 2020 primaries. In past years, the little-publicized October deadline has meant voters who don’t become registered Democrats nearly a year before a scheduled primary are locked out from participating. Far more New Yorkers became aware of this deadline when Senator Bernie Sanders stormed New York’s presidential primary in 2016 and many of his supporters found they had missed the deadline to register as Democrats to vote for him.

For Sanders supporters, moving the party enrollment deadline loser to election day has been a top priority.

The New York Assembly approved S6532A to change the party enrollment date to Valentine’s Day, but Cuomo has yet to seal the deal.

“What are you waiting for, a bus? Why haven’t you signed this law to move it to February?” Chariton questioned.

“They’re doing now what they did in 2016, the only difference is in 2016 the New York state government did not pass a bill to move the deadline to February,” he said. “This is, not only voter suppression folks, this is rigging a primary for the establishment candidate.”