Women of Color Caucus Demand Cuomo Include Early Voting in Budget

NEW YORK, NY (01/12/2018) (readMedia)-- In advance of Martin Luther King day, the women of color caucus in the Assembly announced its support for Early Voting in Governor Cuomo's budget. Early Voting would give New Yorkers a period of time to vote before Election Day. The Let NY Vote coalition has been pushing for Early Voting, and other election reforms, in the budget.

The lawmakers are seeking $3.1 Million in funds for early voting.

The letters from the women of color caucus and Let NY Vote coalition are attached.

Background

New York State lags behind other states in election reform. Besides Early Voting, New York lacks many other modern election reforms. New York does not have any form of Automatic Voter Registration. 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 Outdated elections are in part why only 29 percent of the state's eligible population voted in 2014, putting New York in the bottom third nationally.

37 states and Washington DC have some form of Early Voting.

New York State is currently 41st for lowest voter turn-out in the nation.

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