FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 2015 – Today more than a dozen groups launched the statewide Vote Better NY petition drive calling on state lawmakers to make it easier for New Yorkers to vote. With just a year to go before Election Day 2016, when millions of New Yorkers will vote for a new President, lawmakers should act rapidly to ensure that all eligible voters can easily exercise their fundamental rights.
The Vote Better NY petition drive will help ensure that lawmakers in Albany hear this message loud and clear. Volunteers from each of the partner organizations will be at poll sites today collecting signatures. New Yorkers can also sign the petition online at change.org. Over the coming months, we aim to collect at least 25,000 signatures. We will deliver the petitions to Albany on May 3, 2016 to show lawmakers that this issue matters to voters!
The petition urges New York State legislators to adopt three key reform proposals:
- The Voter Empowerment Act (A5972/S2538A) to modernize our voter registration system so that every eligible New Yorker is registered
- The Voter Friendly Ballot Act (A3389) to create easier-to-read ballots so all New Yorkers can cast a vote that counts
- Early voting so New Yorkers have more than one day to cast their ballots
Check out a fact sheet on the Vote Better NY agenda.
Art Chang, chair of the CFB's Voter Assistance Advisory Committee, said: "New Yorkers deserve better than the voting system we've got now. From the way we register to the ballot we use to record our vote, we can't wait another year to change the outdated laws that govern our elections. We deserve an electronic registration system that is open to all eligible New Yorkers, and the same opportunity voters in 33 other states enjoy -- to cast a ballot in the two weeks before Election Day. Even the ballots voters use at the polls today were designed for machines we no longer use. It's time to change, and this petition drive is a start."
Noor Javid, John Jay College student and NYC Votes intern, said: "Requiring everyone to vote on one day means that many people won't. Between school and my job, I barely made it to the polls in September. We need early voting so everyone can participate if they want to."
Sherrod Staton, BMCC student and NYPIRG Board of Directors representative, said: "It's very clear that young people want to participate in elections, I see it every day on campus. In just weeks this fall, before the deadline, NYPIRG students registered more than 14,000 of their peers to vote. But, it's also clear that New York's outdated election laws contribute to our miserable voter participation rates. Reforms like early voting and electronic voter registration are no-brainers. It's time for Albany to pass these bills."
Dick Dadey, executive director of Citizens Union, said: “It is beyond time to modernize elections in New York and address low voter turnout. Given that our state is ranked 49 out of 51 states and the District of Columbia in turnout, we must do everything in our power to make it easier for New Yorkers to cast their ballot. This effort and the proposed legislative solutions are critical to getting more New Yorkers to the polls”.
Dare Thompson, President of the League of Women Voters of New York State, said: "With one of the lowest voter participation rates in the country, New York must enact reforms to make it easier for its citizens to vote. Reforms to modernize elections will encourage more New Yorkers to register and to vote, a lynchpin in our democracy. The League of Women Voters urges all New Yorkers to take action to support these reforms."
Adrienne Kivelson of the League of Women Voters of New York City said: "New York should be in the vanguard of election reform, not bringing up the rear with laws and regulations that do not permit the use of new technology."
Dr. Hazel Dukes, president of the NAACP - New York State, said: "Ensuring that all citizens can participate in the electoral process at the local, state and federal levels is a core mission for the NAACP. The NAACP supports the Vote Better NY effort and particularly the Voter Empowerment Act. "
Jo-Ann Yoo of the Asian American Federation said: "Vote Better NY's efforts to educate, engage and empower voters can only be done with the help of our legislators. We support this effort to streamline the voting process and make it easier for Asian Americans to participate."
Jaime Estades, president of the Latino Leadership Institute, said: "The history of voting in the U.S. is the history of "voting suppression." The Latino Leadership Institute joins the "Vote Better NY" effort to strengthen the right to vote in New York."
Octavia Hill, chapter president of the Delta Rho Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, said: "Enhancing voter rights and empowering voters is at the root of civic engagement and lifting up our community. We are pleased to support the Vote Better NY program."
Steven Choi, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, said: "As New Yorkers gear up to vote in critical Presidential elections, we need to ensure that we have efficient and accessible voting processes come November 2016. That's why the NYIC is excited to join the Vote Better NY petitioning campaign for election reform. The most impacted communities who are disenfranchised by arcane election policies tend to be our newest New Yorkers. We stand to call for implementation of the Voter Empowerment Act, the Voter Friendly Ballot Act, and early voting to better engage all New Yorkers and empower them to exercise their right to vote."
Angela Williams, president of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. - East Kings County Alumnae Chapter, said: "Delta Sigma Theta has long been invested in outreach to engage our community and we need the changes in the Vote Better NY initiative for our efforts to have the maximum impact."
Eduardo Cuesta, New York director of Dominicanos USA, said: "Dominicanos USA is happy to be a long-standing partner with NYC Votes working to reach, engage and empower underrepresented communities in New York with their right to vote. We look forward to continuing this partnership as we fight to make New York more responsive to the needs of all its citizens."
David Pechefsky, New York City site director at Generation Citizen, said: "Generation Citizen's mission is to prepare youth to be informed voters and engaged citizens. We know the demand to participate is there, so it's critical that voting be as accessible as possible."
The organizations partnering on this effort, to date, include: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority - Delta Rho Omega Chapter, Asian American Federation, Citizens Union, City University of New York, Dominicanos USA, Generation Citizen, Latino Leadership Institute, League of Women Voters of New York State, League of Women Voters of New York City, NAACP New York State Conference, New York Immigration Coalition, New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), and NYC Votes (New York City Campaign Finance Board).
There is still time to join the #VoteBetterNY movement as a volunteer. In the coming months we will reach out to community groups across the state: sign up to join the movement here. Track the team's progress by following us on Twitter and Facebook. New Yorkers can add their voices to our reform movement by using the #VoteBetterNY hashtag.
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