This week is the deadline for new voters who wish to vote in the 2018 election in New York State to register.\u00a0 That\u2019s right, a full 25 days before the election is the deadline to register.\u00a0 In many cases, busy New Yorkers may not be paying attention to the candidates until Election Day gets closer.\u00a0 For those would-be New York voters, they will be shut out.<\/p>\n
Why a 25-day deadline?\u00a0 Good question.\u00a0 Voting is a constitutional right, not a privilege.\u00a0 Yet New York is notorious for making it difficult to vote.\u00a0\u00a0 And the impact is clear:\u00a0 the state has a Voting Eligible Population (VEP) of nearly 13.7 million in 2016.\u00a0 VEP is the most reasonable measure of participation and includes citizens over 18 who are not incarcerated for a felony or on felony parole.\u00a0 However, only 12.5 million New Yorkers were listed by the New York State Board of Elections as either active or inactive voters for the same time period.\u00a0 That means over one million eligible<\/em> citizens were not registered to vote.\u00a0 While the comparison of these two datasets is imperfect, it underscores that many New Yorkers who are eligible, are simply not registered to vote.<\/p>\n Simply put, New York\u2019s voter registration and voter participation rates are anemic.\u00a0 In the 2016 general election, a stunningly low percentage of registered New Yorkers \u2013 under 57 percent \u2013voted.\u00a0 A review of the U.S. Elections Project analysis, showed New York to have among the worst eligible voter turnout rates in the nation.<\/p>\n While many dedicated board staff and poll workers work tirelessly before and on Election Day, the problems many voters faced are systemic.\u00a0 An obvious example of the deliberate way in which lawmakers create obstacles is the voting deadline itself.<\/p>\n New York\u2019s longstanding constitutional voting limit states that no law can be established that sets a voter registration limit within 10 days of an election.\u00a0 10 days.\u00a0 What do New York\u2019s political leaders do?\u00a0 They set a deadline of 25 days.\u00a0 Two full weeks longer than the constitutional minimum.<\/p>\n And as the years go by, no meaningful changes are made despite the technological and societal changes.<\/p>\n The state\u2019s antiquated system of voter registration is a relic of a bygone era.\u00a0 It serves little purpose other than to help self-perpetuate the current leadership, ensuring re-election of incumbents and limiting voter participation.\u00a0 In fact, other states have been modernizing their laws to make it easier to register to vote and as a result are among the states with the highest voting rates in the nation.<\/p>\n New York should join the states offering Same Day Registration through the passage of an amendment to the State Constitution.\u00a0 As of March 2018, 17 states plus the District of Columbia offer same day registration (SDR), which allows any qualified resident of the state to go to register to vote and cast a ballot\u2014on that very day. \u00a0Additionally, Washington has enacted same day registration, to be implemented in 2019.<\/p>\n Each year, just as interest in elections and candidates begins to peak, potential voters find that the deadline for registering to vote has already passed.\u00a0 Here in New York, campaigns for statewide and local offices barely attract public attention before October.\u00a0 By the time voters begin to focus on the election, the deadline has already passed.\u00a0 If you\u2019re not registered, please do so.\u00a0 When thinking about Election Day and the importance of this fundamental civic obligation, remember New York\u2019s need for voting reforms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This week is the deadline for new voters who wish to vote in the 2018 election in New York State to register.\u00a0 That\u2019s right, a full 25 days before the election is the deadline to register.\u00a0 In many cases, busy New Yorkers may not be paying attention to the candidates until Election Day gets closer.\u00a0 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