Common Cause/NY Gets Out the Early Vote, Launches Statewide Nonpartisan Election Protection Program

NEW YORK, NY (08/12/2022) (readMedia)-- As voters gear up to vote early in person, Common Cause/NY, along with members of the Let NY Vote coalition including Common Cause/NY, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund (NALEO) are urging New Yorkers to get out the early vote. In 2019, New York joined 37 other states to establish Early voting, giving voters nine days ahead of Election Day to cast their ballots.

Early voting for Congressional and State Senate primaries runs from August 13th to August 21st. Election Day is August 23rd.

Common Cause/NY is yet again launching a citywide nonpartisan election protection program with Transportation Alternatives. Our volunteers will serve as either virtual poll monitors or roving poll monitors to assist voters with urgent questions and make sure they know their rights. Volunteers will also monitor social media for disinformation and to assist voters.

"In an unprecedented August election, Common Cause/NY will have volunteers ready to help voters both on the road and online. Just like in years prior, our election protection team will make sure voters know how they can cast their ballot correctly, report illegal activity, and just answer nonpartisan questions. We also encourage every voter to skip the crowd and cast their ballot early!" said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/NY.

Common Cause/NY has hosted six remote trainings for 100 + volunteers across the state. Volunteers will work statewide, and rovers will focus on areas in Congressional Districts 10, 11, 12, 17, 22, 23, 24 and Senate Districts 21 and 59. Voters are encouraged to report any misconduct to 886-OUR-VOTE, a national election protection hotline.

"ADL proudly joins our partners in encouraging New Yorkers to exercise their civic duty and vote, starting with early voting tomorrow," said Scott Richman, ADL New York / New Jersey Regional Director. This has been a priority issue since New York established Early Voting in 2019, and we must continue to make voters aware of their right to effect change as key stakeholders in our democracy."

"It might be the dog days of summer, but New Yorkers are going to the polls - again! A redistricting year with two primaries might cause some confusion. Fortunately there are plenty of resources out there to help guide you, including early voting, absentee voting and organizations like Common Cause. Early voting starts this weekend for Congressional and State Senate primaries, and Election Day is Tuesday, August 23. You can find your polling locations, how to vote absentee and sample ballots at https://www.vote.nyc/page/how-vote. And most importantly, VOTE!" said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.

"Our projections indicate that more than 750,000 Latinos in New York will cast ballots this November," stated Orlando Ovalles, NALEO Educational Fund's Northeast Director of Civic Engagement. "We are thrilled to partner with Common Cause/NY to support the Empire State's Latino voters - helping our community become more aware of their rights at the ballot box ahead of the upcoming elections. To this end, NALEO Educational Fund is available to answer any questions aspiring voters may have about the voting process through our bilingual ¡Ve y Vota! hotline at 1-888-839-8682 - which operates Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET."