NYC Votes Seeks Partners for National Voter Registration Day

08/29/2019

NYC Votes is seeking to partner with groups across New York State to celebrate National Voter Registration Day (NVRD) on September 24th. NYC Votes is proud to be designated as the official National Voter Registration Day mentor for New York. NYC Votes will provide organizations that sign up throughout New York with voter registration training and materials.

National Voter Registration Day 2019 is the perfect time for nonprofits, businesses, and community groups to connect with fellow citizens around voting. The next twelve months are filled with new and exciting voting experiences in New York. Early voting will take place for the first time in October, with poll sites opening ten days prior to Election Day. The state's presidential primary is approaching in early 2020.

Training sessions will take place at the office of the NYC Campaign Finance Board (100 Church Street, 12th Floor) during the date/times below. RSVP now to secure your seat at one of the training sessions: 

• Saturday, September 14th, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
• Tuesday, September 17th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

In particular, NYC Votes is seeking to partner with organizations that interact with underrepresented populations such as young people, people of low-income, newly naturalized citizens, or those who speak English as a second language. Individuals are welcome to volunteer at events taking place across the state. All organizations and individuals may sign up now to receive voter registration training and materials.

"We are excited to have been selected to be New York’ official mentor for National Voter Registration Day," said Sabrina Castillo, Director of Partnerships and Outreach at the New York City Campaign Finance Board. "This will be be our 8th year participating and we are committed to training all organizations in the state and ensuring they have the right tools to engage fellow citizens around voting."

“National Voter Registration Day is an important reminder of how participating in our democracy is something that should be celebrated year-round in our communities,” said Rini Fonseca-Sabune, New York City’s Chief Democracy Officer. “We are excited to be partnering with the NYC Campaign Finance Board to reach New Yorkers citywide, helping them register to vote and spreading the word about how elections are more accessible now that Early Voting has come to New York.”

“We are proud to partner once again with the Campaign Finance Board for National Voter Registration Day on September 24,” said Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library. “Helping patrons register to vote is a continuation of the mission we carry out every day: empowering Brooklynites from all backgrounds and experiences to seek knowledge, find their voices, and strengthen the fabric of their communities.”
 
“The New York Public Library values the power of an engaged citizenry, providing our patrons with access to knowledge and opportunity that informs their participation in our society," said New York Public Library President Anthony Marx. "As a profoundly democratic institution, we are proud to take part in National Voter Registration Day, ensuring that all those who are able to vote can contribute to the future of our country.”

"DUSA is proud to be a part of National Voter Registration Day with our partners NYC Votes," said Executive Director Eddie Cuesta, Dominicanos USA - DUSA. "It is crucial that we continue to empower all U.S. citizens by registering them to vote and informing them of the importance of participating in civic processes."

Over a dozen organizations have already signed up through NYC Votes to hold National Voter Registrations Day events, including:

Brooklyn Public Library, City University of New York, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Democracy NYC, Dominicanos USA, East Kings County Alumnae, Empowerment Inc., Greater Queens Chapter of Links, Live ON New York, The New York Public Library, NYC Health + Hospital, Queens Community Board 6, Queens Public Library, Roosevelt Institute, Year Up, and Y Vote NY.

In 2018, NYC Votes organized hundreds of voter registration drives on National Voter Registration Day. Working with dozens of non-profit, corporate, and government partners, NYC Votes held more than 500 voter registration drives in the city. Volunteers conducted voter registration drives at every public library, every YMCA facility, and all four Patagonia retail stores in New York City, among other locations.

Americans are celebrating National Voter Registration Day with a nationwide effort to register voters before the presidential primary elections begin in 2020. Thousands of national, state, and local organizations and volunteers will be the driving force behind National Voter Registration Day 2019. Partners will coordinate hundreds of events and leverage #NationalVoterRegistrationDay on social media to drive attention to voter registration and elections across the country this November.

The effort’s website, www.NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org, provides a listing of National Voter Registration Day events across the country, including those taking place in New York. Founded in 2012, National Voter Registration Day is designed to create an annual moment when the entire nation focuses on registering Americans to exercise their most basic right – the right to vote. More than two million Americans have registered to vote on this day since the inaugural National Voter Registration Day.

For media inquiries about National Voter Registration Day, please contact NYC Votes by sending an email to press@nyccfb.info.

NYC Votes is the nonpartisan voter engagement initiative of the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) and its Voter Assistance Advisory Committee (VAAC). In addition to promoting voter registration, participation, and civic engagement in New York City through its many programs and partnerships, NYC Votes sponsors the city’s official Debate Program and produces the citywide Voter Guide.