Res. No. 336
Title
Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, A.7623/S.840 and A9608B, in relation to authorizing ballot by mail, no excuse absentee ballot voting and early voting.
Body
By Council Members Kallos, Constantinides and Ayala
Whereas, Popular sovereignty through voting is a foundational bedrock of our democracy; and
Whereas, All eligible New Yorkers deserve a reasonable opportunity to exercise their fundamental voting rights; and
Whereas, According to the United States Elections Project, New York State ranked 41st among states' voter turnout in the 2016 general election; and
Whereas, In the 2014 general election, only 20% of eligible voters in New York City voted, hitting a historic low, according to the New York City Campaign Finance Board; and
Whereas, A 2010 United States Census Bureau survey found that the most common reason cited by non-voters for not voting is a category defined as "No time off/too busy;" and
Whereas, A New York voter may only utilize their assigned polling location between 6:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M. on a single weekday Election Day in order to exercise their right to vote; and
Whereas, The 15-hour window of opportunity to vote in New York potentially results in disenfranchisement due to unintended delays in opening poll sites, as occasionally happens locally, given the large number of poll sites in New York City; and
Whereas, Many states with high voter turnout rates have instituted various electoral reforms to increase participation, including permitting voters to cast absentee ballots without citing an excuse and implementing early voting; and
Whereas, Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia currently allow any voter to vote via absentee ballot without offering an excuse, and three states have all-mail voting where ballots are automatically sent to every eligible voter, according to the National Conference of Stat...
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