For Immediate Release
Contact- Jake Oliver, jake@anatgerstein.com, 347 361 9983
New York, N.Y. (June 1, 2022) – Citizens Union releases the following statement from Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum after the NYS Assembly passed S2951A/A8858A which would reduce the time for mailing and receipt of voter registration applications to the Constitutional minimum of 10 days before election:
“Citizens Union applauds the State Senate and Assembly for passing legislation that will move the voter registration deadline to ten days before election day, the minimum allowed by the state constitution. Moving this deadline closer to election day will remove a barrier to voting and increase voter turnout. This reform builds on the tremendous progress New York State has made on voting rights initiatives in the past few years, including the implementation of early voting, consolidating federal and local primaries, no excuse absentee voting and pre-registration for 16- and 17-year olds. We thank Senator Kavanaugh and Assembly Member Carroll for their leadership on this bill.”
“As with any election reform, it is imperative that this be implemented correctly. The legislature must ensure that local Boards of Elections have adequate resources to process voter registration forms, and plan for voters to register and vote at early voting locations on the first day of early voting.”
About Citizens Union
For 125 years, Citizens Union has been a force for transparency, accountability and ethics in New York’s City and State governments. A nonpartisan organization, some of our current initiatives include a new agenda for police accountability, monitoring the City Council’s redistricting process and increasing civic engagement. Learn more at www.citizensunion.org.
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