Good Government Groups Commend Speaker Silver for Moving Forward Early Voting Legislation

Leading good government groups in New York issued the following statement today in response to the vote today by the Assembly Election Law committee moving forward the early voting bill sponsored by Speaker Sheldon Silver:

“Our groups praise Speaker Silver for demonstrating that early voting is an important priority this legislative session.  By introducing and now moving forward legislation Speaker Silver has made an important statement that enacting early voting is long overdue in New York State.

The 2012 presidential election presented a visible reminder that New York State is a laggard rather than a leader in election administration.  While 32 other states have some form of early voting, New York only allows voters to cast their ballots on one day, except in the limited circumstances in which voters are permitted to vote via absentee ballot.  Consequently, New Yorkers faced long lines lasting up to several hours at many poll sites across the state on Election Day, deterring voters from exercising their right to vote.

We praise Speaker Silver for prioritizing making voting more convenient for all New Yorkers, and moving forward early in the legislative session a proposal that will enable voters to vote one week in advance of a primary or special election and two weeks in advance of a general election in numerous locations in each of the state’s counties.

Our groups are reviewing best practices associated with early voting, and we look forward to engaging the Speaker’s Office, Governor Cuomo, and the entire leadership of the State Senate as the session progresses.  We look forward to the implementation of early voting in New York that will increase the opportunity for voters to cast their ballots, while maintaining privacy and the high integrity standards for casting ballots in New York State.”