Three starting points for Senate

In last month’s Democratic primary, six former members of the state Senate’s Independent Democratic Conference were finally defeated by a surge of grassroots enthusiasm from voters across New York. After years of empowering Republicans and special interests in Albany, these IDC “Democrats” deserved their unceremonious defeat.

Now what? The first step is electing more new leaders to the Senate in November who can deliver a majority for change. But winning elections is not nearly enough to fix what ails the Empire State.

New York is nationally recognized as one of the most corrupt state governments in the country. Over the last few years, we’ve seen a parade of high-ranking state officials march through federal courthouse in handcuffs after being convicted of abusing the public trust. The corruption runs deep, in both parties.

The new senators will march into the Capitol with a bold vision that has the potential to change New York for the better. They won because voters share their vision of criminal justice reform, universal health care, reproductive rights and more.

Yet this progressive vision will face enormous resistance in Albany because it could upend the status quo and threaten powerful entrenched interests: insurance companies will try and block single-payer health care; landlords and developers will stand in the way of landlord-tenant reform; and wealthy interests of all kinds will fight to the teeth to kill any effort to make our antiquated tax code more progressive.

So before we can make progress on this ambitious agenda, we need to reform business as usual in Albany. That’s why every new senator should make three foundational reforms a non-negotiable demand for their first year in office.

First, close the so-called “LLC loophole,” which essentially allows individuals and special interests to funnel enormous sums of money to the candidates of their choosing. Often this happens in secret and without any transparency. A 2016 investigation found that a single company, Glenwood Management, set up more than 50 LLCs in an effort to funnel more than $12.8 million in campaign contributions.

But closing loopholes won’t matter unless there’s a robust system to enforce New York’s campaign finance laws. New senators must restore the powers of the Board of Elections chief enforcement officer. That means real enforcement and investigatory powers, such as the ability to issue subpoenas and pursue litigation free from interference from the political actors the office is regulating. Political appointees recently watered down these powers; reverse their decision.

Finally, we should make it easier for every New Yorker to vote, because increased voter engagement is our greatest tool to increase accountability in Albany. This means passing Automatic Voter Registration legislation and instituting early voting in New York, two common-sense reforms already proven to be effective elsewhere in the country. At a time when Republican-led states are trying their hardest to prevent people of color and young people from voting, New York should be taking the lead on voting rights and accessibility.

Now, this won’t be easy. Opponents will use their knowledge of the arcane legislative process to block reform. They’ll claim reformers lack “party unity” and are disloyal.

But the IDC challengers will be coming to Albany after running campaigns that were an explicit rebuke of Albany corruption. If they can reform the way our state government does business, then they can pave the way for meaningful and durable change for decades to come.