Wins for Voters

Together, Let NY Vote grassroots activists & coalition partners changed history — by changing the conversation in New York, and by advocating for the passage of a dozen landmark voting rights reforms — the first in New York in over a century.

As a result of your hard work, New Yorkers now have

more time to register to vote,

three ways to vote, &

faster, more reliable election results.

Timeline

2019

Early Voting

  • 42 states had early voting, New York did not.

  • New York has nine days of early voting before every election, including the two weekends prior to the election, ending the Sunday before. The State also provides dedicated funding, and not ask counties to rely on other cost savings, to ensure seamless implementation.

  • Eased the pressure on polling sites during election day, gave New Yorkers more time to vote, and made access to voting more equitable

Uniform Polling HOurs During Primary Elections

  • The vast majority of the state could only vote from 12pm to 9pm during a primary election.

  • All New Yorkers can vote from 6am to 9pm during a primary election.

  • All New Yorkers should have the same amount of time to cast their ballot. Confusion about poll hours led to disenfranchisement of entire populations. 

Consolidated Primaries

  • New York was the only state that had two separate days for the state and federal primaries. 

  • There is one primary date for each election cycle instead of two. 

  • Cut costs and made voting in the primaries less confusing and easier for voters to fit into their schedule. 

VOTER FRIENDLY BALLOTS

  • Ballots in New York was confusing and difficult to read.

  • The Voter Friendly Ballot Act, written in consultation with specialists in the fields of graphic design, user experience, and disability accommodation, makes significant improvements to the readability and layout of the ballot. These changes help eliminate visual clutter, increase font size, and emphasize the most important parts of the ballot like candidate names and party affiliation.

  • New Yorkers should be able to vote with clear, legible and easy to understand ballots.

SHORTENED THE PARTY ENROLLMENT DEADLINE

  • New York’s party enrollment deadline was the most restrictive in the country; New Yorkers needed to enroll in a political party eleven months before a primary election.   

  • We slashed the party enrollment deadline by more than half for the majority of our elections to enable New York’s current party enrollment deadline at February 14th, four months before the state and federal primary and two months before the presidential primary. 

  • Every New York voter was hobbled by this absurd deadline. This was an important step towards giving voters more time to enroll in a party before a primary election. 

ELECTRONIC POLL BOOKS

  • Paper voter rolls were required for all counties on Election Day and were prone to error, causing confusion and long waits.

  • Counties can use electronic poll books if they choose to. The state has allocated at least $14.7 million to support counties switching to e-pollbooks.

  • Electronic poll books were proven to save voters time at poll sites, increase the accuracy of voter rolls, and save money over the years. They were also critical for many counties implementing early voting.

ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION

  • New York voters were only able to register or update their voter registration through an online DMV portal if they have a license. 

  • Since 2021, New Yorkers can register to vote through the State Board of Elections website.

  • Online voter registration allows all New Yorkers the option to register online, not just those who have a DMV issued ID. It also streamlined the registration process for the Board of Elections and set the stage for proper implementation of Automatic Voter Registration.

PRE-REGISTRATION OF 16 & 17 YEAR OLDS

  • 16 and 17 year-olds had to wait until they turned 18 to register to vote. 

  • Since 2020, New York allows teens 16 years or older to preregister to vote, and the Board of Elections will automatically register those individuals once they turn 18.

  • Encouraged voting and made it easier for young adults to get involved and vote. People who get involved in voting younger were more likely to become lifelong voters.

REGISTRATION PORTABILITY

  • When New Yorkers moved to a different county they had to re-register in order to vote at their new address. 

  • The Board of Elections automatically updates the registration of voters who move within New York State and fill out a change of address with USPS.

  • Allowed New Yorkers who move to vote at their new address without having to re-register. 

FUNDING FOR EARLY VOTING & ELECTRONIC POLL BOOKS

  • The state provides funding to counties for the implementation of voting: $10 million for early voting and $14.7 million for electronic poll books. The funding can also be used for on demand ballot printers, updated machinery, and other structural investments.

  • Early voting was passed after counties had already set their 2019 budgets, so they needed state support to cover start-up and implementation costs when it goes into effect this year.

2020

automatic voter registration

  • Registering to vote was a cumbersome process and our voter rolls were out of date.

  • Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) registers eligible New Yorkers to vote when they interact with a government agency (i.e., the DMV, Department of Health), unless they opt out.

  • Participating in our democracy should never be an opt-in process, and AVR could turn more than one million New Yorkers into one million new voters. New York needed a model that was implemented at multiple government agencies and provided adequate safeguards to protect our most vulnerable populations. 

2021

voting after incarceration

  • Formerly incarcerated individuals convicted of a felony were prohibited from voting.

  • This law restores the right to vote for a person convicted of a felony upon release from incarceration, regardless of if they are on parole or have a term of post-release supervision.

  • Parole disenfranchisement was designed to prevent Black men from voting. We see the legacy of these laws in the largely Black and Latinx parolee population today. Passage of this law represents dismantling the vestiges of segregation-era felony disenfranchisement in NY.

2022

No Excuse Absentee Ballot Due to Covid-19

  • New York had an extremely limited absentee balloting program.

  • Allowed to request an absentee ballot during the pandemic through 2022 where there was risk of contracting or spreading disease that may cause illness to the voter or other members of the public.

  • Nobody should be forced to choose between their health and their vote. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers have availed themselves of the expanded absentee ballot eligibility, and the continuation of this law through the end of 2022 is an important boost to our democracy. 

expanding time for voter registration

  • Before 2022, voters can cast a ballot in an election if their registration forms were received by the board of elections by the twenty-fifth day ahead of an election.

  • Voters can cast a ballot in an election if their registration forms are received by the board of elections by the tenth day ahead of an election.

  • Many New Yorkers, with busy lives and many competing priorities, may choose to engage with the election process within the final weeks before an election. When the registration deadline was previously set nearly a month before elections, new voters were routinely excluded from participating. The law change of the deadline to the constitutional minimum of 10 days before any election, makes it that much easier for New Yorkers to exercise their right to vote.

2023

Golden Day Voter Registration

  • The deadline to register to vote in New York was 25 days before the election.

  • Since 2023, New Yorkers have 10 days to register to vote  and on the 10th day, New Yorkers can do early voting on that day! All those eligible to register to vote in New York State may use an affidavit ballot AND vote on March 23, June 15, and October 26.

  • Encouraged voter turnout and allows more New Yorkers to participate in governmental decisions.

AMENDMENT PROPOSALS & BALLOT MEASURES TO BE WRITTEN IN PLAIN & UNDERSTANDABLE LANGUAGE

  • When dense and complicated language is used to explain proposed amendments or other questions on the ballot, it can make voters feel confused about the decision they are being asked to make. As a result, some voters may decide not to vote on these questions at all, or may wonder if they actually voted in accordance with their preferences.

  • Proposed amendments and other ballot measures must be explained in plain and clear language that allows voters to understand the practical impact of adopting or rejecting the measure they are being asked to vote on. The bill sets a standard for all ballot language to be written at or below an eighth grade reading level, and to be written in a Yes or No format, so all citizens have a fair opportunity to confidently cast their ballots.

  • By requiring the use of plain language on such ballot measures, the legislation signed by Governor Hochul today will help empower New Yorkers at the ballot box to confidently cast their votes and make their voices heard on important questions impacting their communities and the entire state.

Early Voting by Mail

  • New Yorkers could only access an absentee ballot if they were sick, had a disability, or would be out of their district during the election season.

  • All New Yorkers can vote-by-mail without an excuse.

  • Whether you’re a parent balancing work and childcare, a busy student maintaining several extracurriculars between classes, or just trying to find a quieter time to visit the polls, New Yorkers should not have to sacrifice the right to vote when life gets in the way. Early voting by mail also provides convenience to avoid crowded public spaces, delays, or inclement weather and last-minute scheduling that can hinder your ability to vote on Election Day.

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