Push needed to aid N.Y. democracy
Gov. Hochul delivers Wednesday’s State of the State at a pivotal point for New York’s democracy. Recently, after years of trailing other progressive states, lawmakers had been on track to make New York a national leader in expanding democracy. Since 2019 they had increased access to voting and created the nation’s most powerful response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United: a small donor-match public campaign finance program to boost everyday voters’ voices in an age of megadonors.
But the November 2021 defeat of two pro-voter ballot questions halted this progress. It showed that New York is not immune from the anti-democratic forces that stormed the U.S. Capitol last Jan. 6. Heavy “Stop the Steal”-style ad spending turned out opposition, with virtually no response from proponents. As the Brennan Center, the National Action Network and a range of labor, racial justice and voting rights groups have urged, the governor and legislators must redouble their efforts this year to protect democracy for all. New Yorkers cannot afford for their leaders to take progress for granted.
The failed ballot proposals would have cleared the way for two common-sense, commonplace policies: no-excuse absentee voting and same-day voter registration. All voters should be able to cast a ballot by mail without having to meet one of a narrow set of “excuses” as required under current law. Thirty-four states are ahead of New York on no-excuse mail voting. And in a state that has seen some of the nation’s lowest voter turnout, same-day registration would enable people to join the rolls when they feel most interested in voting — on Election Day, instead of nearly four weeks in advance as is currently required.
The proposals should have easily passed. Pre-election polls showed broad support, and two Legislatures had already approved them as part of the multi-year process to amend hurdles in the state Constitution. But false claims that the reforms would make elections less secure went unanswered and ultimately prevailed, and three out of four active voters did not answer the ballot questions.
Lawmakers must revive the effort. In the meantime, they should enact regular legislation immediately to move the 25-day registration deadline to the 10-day constitutional minimum, enabling one “golden day” of sameday registration during the state’s early voting period. Doing so will increase all New Yorkers’ opportunity to vote.
And there’s much more for Albany to do. Another priority must be to fix longstanding structural flaws at the state and local Boards of Elections.
Right now, many election boards in New York lack accountability, hire without basic qualification requirements, and in poorer areas struggle for adequate resources. For years these issues have contributed to administrative failures that shake voters’ confidence in elections. That’s not just a local problem; “Stop the Steal” fearmongers use these blunders to undermine faith in democracy nationwide.
Lessons from other major metropolitan election agencies show how New York can do much better. The governor and lawmakers must enact fundamental improvements to leadership, accountability, hiring, training and efficiency, to enable equitable, reliable access to the vote across the state.
They must also stand up for all voters by enacting the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of New York. This bill would require localities to clear proposed changes to voting procedures with the state Attorney General’s Civil Rights Bureau, to avoid racially discriminatory impacts among other problems. It’s an important backstop to ensure voter-roll purges, polling-place relocations, and other actions do not disenfranchise voters.
And the governor and lawmakers must follow through on the state’s two boldest pro-voter measures in recent years, by fully funding the implementation of small-donor public financing and automatic voter registration. The voluntary public financing program will amplify the influence of everyday voters by matching their small contributions to candidates who opt in and are able to show enough public support to qualify. The policy increases diversity and participation among donors and encourages candidates to focus on constituents rather than megadonors. And automatic voter registration would modernize the state’s antiquated process by enrolling voters or updating their information during routine business with certain government agencies, unless they opt out.
As Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Congress weigh urgent federal measures in the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, it’s essential that New York step up in the fight to bolster democracy against deceptive efforts to undermine it. By building on recent progress and prioritizing voting and elections reform in 2022, Hochul and state lawmakers can protect and strengthen an inclusive and participatory democracy for all New Yorkers.