Senator Gianaris Renews Push for Voter Empowerment Act to Increase Voter Participatoin

ALBANY, N.Y. – Senator Michael Gianaris today renewed the push to pass his Voter Empowerment Act, legislation that would establish automatic voter registration and reduce impediments to voting. He highlighted his bill as members of the Senate Democratic Conference released a report with findings about low voter turnout across the state.
 
“At a time in our country when voting rights are under assault, New York must live up to its reputation as a progressive leader,” said Senator Michael Gianaris. “Access to the ballot box should be easy and fair. I urge my colleagues to enact these proposals as soon as possible to remove obstacles to voting.”
 
The Voter Empowerment Act would establish automatic voter registration and remove onerous obstacles to voting such as unnecessarily long registration deadlines.
 
The Senate Democratic Conference report, entitled "Why Don’t More New Yorkers Vote?", highlights a recent survey where 28% of respondents said they have missed an election because of work or school obligations, 79% said they would be more likely to vote in an election if early voting was enacted and 76% of respondents said they would be more likely to vote in an election if New York had no-excuse absentee voting. To read the full report, click here: https://bit.ly/2rdn037. 

Photos of today's press conference with the Senate Democratic Conference are available here: https://bit.ly/2vY1aoW.