Easy Elections Coalition Calls for Legislature to Pass Election Reform NOW

NEW YORK, NY (06/28/2017) (readMedia)-- In response to today's special session of the Legislature, the Easy Elections Coalition called on the Governor and Legislative leaders to take up election reform. New York State is currently 41st in the nation for voter turnout, and an analysis released today by the Board of Elections found that in New York City, turnout for the primary elections was only 8%.

"The Legislature and the Governor left Albany last week without passing any kind of election reform, but now they have an opportunity in the special session to make elections easy for the millions of New Yorkers who will go to the polls this Fall. New York ranks at the bottom for voter turn out not because we don't want to vote, but because our elected officials won't let us. Our voters deserve access to early voting, electronic poll-books and automatic voter registration now."

The Easy Elections New York Coalition includes the following growing list of organizations from across the state:

New York Progressive Action Network (NYPAN)

Brooklyn Voters Alliance of GOBK

2 Hours A Week

Common Cause/NY

Public Citizen

Gowanus Gathering for Action

Brooklyn Rebels

Concerned Citizens For Change

Rock the Vote

SEIU 32BJ

Citizen Action NY

New York Social Justice PAC

Indivisible 330

The Youth Progressive Policy Group (YPPG)

The New York City Action Council (NYCIA Council)

Tally Up NY (actually not Tally Up)

New York Immigration Coalition

Citizens Union

Interfaith Impact of NYS

Indivisible: Rapid Response NYC

Indivisible: Rapid Response Blue

Indivisible: Rapid Response Red & Purple

Indivisible Village in Ditmas Park

NY Indivisible

New York Democratic Lawyers Council (NYDLC)

Peace Action & Education

The Creative Resistance

The New York City Action Council (NYCIA Council)

Indivisible Millbrook Loyal Opposition

LTH Indivisible

Westchester Citizen Therapists

Ulster Activists

NY Senate District 17 for Progress

Indivisible Village in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn

New Kings Democrats

Code Blue NYS

Croton on Hudson INDIVISIBLE

Justice League NYC

Voter Registration Team of the Syracuse Solidarity Coalition

Action and Empathy

NY4Democracy

March On! New Paltz

Strong Economy for All

Empire State Progressives

NY Senate District 17 for Progress

Background

37 states already have some form of Early Voting, leaving New York as one of only 13 states without any means to vote early except via absentee ballot. New York does not have any form of Automatic Voter Registration either. Automatically registering eligible voters encourages civic participation, and provides a vehicle for state agencies to efficiently transfer voter registration information to the Board of Elections. 16 states allow post-incarceration voting, which fosters re-entry through civic participation and is easier to administer. Outdated elections is in part why only 29 percent of the state's eligible population voted in 2014, putting New York in the bottom third nationally.