Vote reform rules OKd in Capitol

ALBANY – The Democraticcontrolled state Legislature on Monday took its first actions, passing a package of legislation they say will make voting easier and close a major loophole that has allowed corporations to skirt campaign finance limits.

The suite of bills that cleared the Senate and Assembly will allow for the first voters to go to the polls up to 10 days before an election, consolidate the state and federal primaries to a single day, allow 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister to vote, and begin the process of changing the state Constitution to allow same-day voter registration and voting by mail.

“Government should be about breaking down barriers, which is why the Senate Democratic majority is making it easier for those who are eligible to vote, said new state Senate Majority Leader Andrea StewartCousins (D-Yonkers).

“We need more voices in our democracy, not fewer,” Stewart Cousins (inset) said.

New York traditionally has among the lowest turnouts in the country.

The package also includes a long-awaited plan to close what is known as the LLC loophole, which allows corporations to skirt campaign donation limits by creating an unlimited amount of limited-liability companies that can each donate higher amounts.

The Assembly had passed most, if not all, the bills in previous years only to see them blocked by Republicans who controlled the Senate. But with Dems having won control of the Senate for the first time in a decade, the bills sailed through.

Senate Republicans argued that some bills, like early voting, would not improve turnout as Democrats say, would impose undue financial hardships on upstate counties, and potentially jeopardize voter security.

Gov. Cuomo, who had called for passage of the electoral reform package and promised to sign the legislation, said Monday he will propose going further when he unveils his state budget plan Tuesday.