Friends -
For a so-called progressive state, New York has long had some of the most regressive voting laws in the country.
For years, Governor Cuomo and the IDC rejected calls for reform and attempts to expand voting access and greater participation from working class New Yorkers.
But then a funny thing happened... in 2018, we won. We beat the IDC. And just a few months later, we passed a number of reforms in a Democratic State Senate. Then we did it again in 2020.
The primary and general election last year demonstrated we still have a long way to go. So last week in the State Senate, we passed a new series of voting reforms. Now we need Governor Cuomo to sign these bills into law.
New York was one of the last states to finish counting votes in the last election. Thank goodness we weren’t a presidential "swing state," although the slow count impacted a number of important congressional and state elections.
Our reforms will speed up the absentee ballot counting.
Remember those long lines for early voting and on Election Day with people waiting hours to vote? And it wasn’t just the general election. Some New Yorkers were in line past midnight during the primary. What’s more, studies show that it takes voters in poorer neighborhoods longer to vote than in more wealthy ones. How disgraceful.
Our reforms will make it easier to vote absentee by accepting applications earlier, ensuring voters get their ballots in a timely manner, and making more absentee ballot drop boxes available. We also started the process of a constitutional amendment to allow no-excuse absentee voting.
Now we need Governor Cuomo to sign these bills into law. Add your name if you agree:
New York has long been infamous for its rampant corruption and cronyism at the highest levels of our state government. As Chair of the Ethics Committee, we are going to tackle that reality.
But a big part of what’s held it in place is the relentless commitment by some of the wealthiest New Yorkers and their representatives in the State legislature and the governor’s mansion to keep people from voting, and from having those votes counted.
Those days are coming to an end.
All my best,
Alessandra Biaggi
Paid For By The Committee To Elect Alessandra Biaggi
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