ICYMI Rev Sharpton and Bertha Lewis on Early Voting and Dr. King's Legacy

NEW YORK, NY (04/04/2018) (readMedia)-- ICYMI: last week as lawmakers negotiated the final NYS budget, which ultimately exculded early voting and other election reforms, civil rights leaders issued the following statements:

"April 4 marks 50 years since Dr. King's Assassination. In his seminal Dream speech, he talked about the government writing us a "bad check." On April 1, 3 days before the anniversary of Dr. King's death, the New York State leaders must pass a budget. The proposed NYS budget is yet another bad check written out to marginalized communities. NY State leaders are shortchanging Dr. King's Dream. All of our leaders' promises to fight injustice and civil rights are nowhere to be found and we are calling for answers. This budget fails to deal with inequality, racial justice and democracy. Advocates all over the state are frustrated and left empty-handed in this closed room process. We are calling on our leaders to include Early Voting and fair and real progressive criminal justice reform in the budget. These initiatives need more than legislation; they need funding, and I am a New Yorker and civil rights leader refusing yet another bad check," said Rev. Al Sharpton, President & Founder, National Action Network:

"When we did our voting rights report, 'Mississippi on the Hudson,' we found that one of the most effective measures to removing barriers to voter turnout in New York is early voting. With voting laws commonly associated with those of the South, New York can hardly call itself a progressive, forward-thinking state. Early voting enables increased access to the polls to communities of color, the disabled and the elderly who are otherwise disenfranchised from casting their ballot on Election Day. Governor Cuomo, do the right thing. The one thing you can do right now that will bring immediate change is early voting. Put it in the budget, and pass it now," said Bertha Lewis, Founder and President of the Black Institute.

Background

In February, Governor Cuomo announced an historic 30-day amendment to his proposed budget that would provide approximately $7 million to New York counties to offer early voting. However, the final budget did NOT include early voting.

A Siena Poll released in February shows that 67% of New Yorkers, including 60% of Upstate New Yorkers, 48% of Republicans, and 65% of suburban New Yorkers, support early voting.

This year, Let NY Vote, formerly known as Easy Elections NY, formed as a statewide coalition of organizations & grassroots groups fighting to modernize New York's elections. The goal is to pass simple solutions in 2018 to improve our elections and remove barriers to registering and voting for all eligible New Yorkers.

The Let NY Vote coalition is made up of over thirty organizations, nonprofits, and labor unions, including Common Cause/NY, Public Citizen, New York State United Teachers, SEIU 32BJ, RWDSU, CWA District 1, as well as the statewide NAACP and the National Action Network, grassroots organizations, faith groups, civil liberties, reproductive and immigrant rights, criminal justice and re-entry groups, New American, and the LGBTQ community. A full list is available at letnyvote.org.