Governor Assembly Speaker Majority Leader John Flanagan Leader Jeffrey Klein State Capitol Albany, New York

March 13, 2017

Dear Governor Cuomo, Speaker Heastie, Majority Leader Flanagan and Leader Klein,

Women of New York campaigned for decades, on the streets and at the ballot box to win suffrage 100 years ago this year. The leaders of that movement crossed lines of race, class and region to unite for a stronger democracy. Today, we are united in our belief that the best way to commemorate their accomplishment is by moving New York’s voting laws into the 21st century.

As women leaders of New York, we call on you to enact early voting and comprehensive, automatic voter registration – two cornerstones of modern voter rights – in this year’s 2017 final budget due April 1st. The Governor’s Executive Budget includes a version of these proposals. The Assembly passed versions of these proposals at the end of last legislative session. These policies are very popular, even across party lines. Early voting has become the norm in 34 states, while New York would be in the vanguard joining the 6 states that have automatic registration.

Every New Yorker deserves a democracy that is fair and promotes their full participation. We need action now. In truth, New York’s track record in this area is shameful. Our state consistently ranks amongst the worst states in voter turnout. In the 2014 midterms, only 29% of New York’s voting-age citizens voted—the state’s lowest turnout in 40 years, ahead of only Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas. As many as 40% of citizens of voting age in New York, or 5.5 million people, were not registered to vote as of 2014, the most recent reliable data. This registration rate puts New York in the bottom third of the country.

Across the country we see the disastrous impact of voter suppression laws, especially for communities of color. But here in New York, we have our own kind of voter suppression laws – registration laws that are so antiquated that they are ineffective, or worse, negatively affecting New Yorkers’ ability to participate in their democracy.

There are unsubstantiated claims of too many people voting in this country, but we know the truth – the real fraud is a system that keeps too many eligible Americans from voting. Our broken democracy must be fixed with true voting rights reforms. Let us make New York a leader again.

Sincerely,

Addie A.E. Jenne, Member, New York State Assembly Afua Atta-Mensah, Esq,Executive Director, Community Voices Heard Alison Hirsh, Political Director, 32BJ SEIU Alison McLean Lane, Legislator, Albany County Alyssa Aguilera, Co-Executive Director,VOCAL-NY Dr. Amy Hsin, Code Blue Amy Harlib, Yoga for Peace, Justice and Harmony With the Planet. Ana María Archila, Co- Executive Director, Center for Popular Democracy Andrea Miller, President, National Institute for Reproductive Health Andrea Vocos, Community Organizer & Writer, Action Corps NYC, Democratic Socialists of America Ann Tiffany, New Feminists for Justice , Member, New York State Assembly , Member, New York State Assembly Barbara Bartoletti, Legislative Director, League of Women Voters of New York State Barbara K. Thomas, Steering Committee Lead, League of Women Voters of Saratoga County Bessie Schachter, State Committee Member, 73rd AD, New York State Democratic Committee Beverly Cooper Neufel, President, PowHer New York Brianna Cea, Regional Coordinator, Roosevelt Institute Candis Tolliver, Deputy Political Director, SEIU local 32BJ , Member, New York State Assembly Carol A. Schrager, Co-Chair, New York Democratic Lawyers Council Carol F Bullard, Ph.D. Capital District Organizing Team Leader NY4Democracy Coalition Carole Coppens, Executive Director, YWCA Binghamton and Broome County, Inc. Carole Hoffman, ROC/Acts Carolyn Del Vecchio, Activist, Showing Up For Racial Justice Carrie Gilroy, ROCitizen Cassie Cleary, Organizer & Student Leader, Democracy Matters Cathy Dang, Executive Director, CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities Chelly Hegan, President & CEO, Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood Chelsie Callan, GLOW Progressives Christine Sadowski, Executive Director, YWCA Orange County, NY Christy D'Ambrosio, Youth Director, First Presbyterian Church, Albany NY Claudia Calhoon, Director of Health Advocacy, The New York Immigration Coalition Crystal Peoples-Stokes, Member, New York State Assembly Cynthia DiBartolo, Esq., CEO, Tigress Financial Partners Dahlia McManus, Deputy Director, Deborah Axt, Co-Executive Director, Make the Road New York Denise Murphy McGraw, Deputy Town Supervisor, Town of Niskayuna Denise Young, President, Metro Justice, Rochester DeNora Getachew, Executive Director, Generation Citizen New York Diana C. Richardson, Member, New York State Assembly Diana L. Wright, Business Owner, Completely Home Real Estate LLC District Council 37, AFSCME, AFL-CIO Dominica M. Quackenbush, Co-founder of Dutchess County Progressive Action Alliance Donna A. Lupardo, Member, New York State Assembly Donna Lieberman, Executive Director, New York Civil Liberties Union Donna Seymour, AAUW Public Policy Committee Member, American Association of University Women Dorcey Applyrs, Common Council Member, City of Albany Ellen C. Jaffee, Member, New York State Assembly Ellen T. Kennedy, Past President, Citizen Action of New York Erin Riddle, Chair, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Gale A. Brewer, Manhattan Borough President Gianni Ortiz, Founder, Indivisible CD19 NY Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, Author, "The Voting Rights War" Hannah Blacm, County Legislator, Dutchess County Hannah Sachs, Democracy Matters Campus Leader, Colgate University Heather McGhee, President, Demos Helen Rosenthal, Member, Council Irma Solis, Chapter Director, NYCLU-Suffolk Jacqueline M. Ebanks, Executive Director, Women's City Club of New York Jacquetta HarrisDirector, RHA Jasmine Gripper, Legislative Director, Alliance for Quality Education Jeanne Murphy, Treasurer, New York Democratic Lawyers Council Jen Metzger, Town Councilwoman, Town of Rosendale Jennifer Lee Yoshioka Jennifer Schwartz Berky, Legislator, Ulster County Legislature Jessica Frisco, Co-chair, Grassroots Action New York , Member, New York State Assembly Joan Malin, President & CEO, Planned Parenthood of New York City Joan Mandle, Executive Director, Democracy Matters JoJo Li, Co-Founder, 2 Hours A Week Joo-Hyun Kang, Executive Director, Communities United for Police Reform Action Fund Julia Fenster, Co-President,National Organization for Women Nassau Chapter Julie Kushner, Director, UAW Region 9A KaeLyn E.L. Rich, Chapter Director, Genesee Valley Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union Karen E Magee President, New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Karen Scharff, Executive Director, Citizen Action of New York Kate Linker, President, Greater NYC for Change Kathleen E. Koebrich, Public Citizen Kathleen Stein, President, LWV of St. Lawrence County Kelleigh McKenzie, Acting Chair, Ulster People for Justice & Democracy L. Joy Williams, President, Brooklyn NAACP Latrice Monique Walker , Member, New York State Assembly Laura S. Forman, Member Leader, Dutchess County Progressive Action Alliance Leah Golby, Council Member, Albany Common Council Lekia K. Hill, Owner/Active Voter, 3Es Consulting Group, Syracuse Lenore Friedlaender, Assistant to the President, 32BJ SEIU Leonard M. Kohen, Secretary, New York Democratic Lawyers Council Linda B. Rosenthal, Member, New York State Assembly Linda Sarsour, National Co-Chair, Women's March on Washington Lisa Barron Lisa Englert, Educator, Rochester City School District Lisa Tyson, Director, Long Island Progressive Coalition Liz Krueger, Senator, New York State Senate Lou Jean Fleron, Board President, Partnership for the Public Good Louisa Hackett, Director, Community Votes Magenna Brink, Co-Chair, Grassroots Action NY Margaret Fung, Executive Director, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) Margaret Kwateng, Lead Coordinator, Hudson Valley Black Lives Matter Coalition Marilyn Tedeschi, President, Freinds of the Women's Rights National Historical Park , Member, New York State Assembly Mary S. Greene, Public Citizen Melody Lopez, Director, NY Civic Engagement Table Michaelle Solages, Member, New York State Assembly Michelle de la Uz, Executive Director, Fifth Avenue Committee Natasha Cherry,Chair, City of Poughkeepsie Common Council Nelini Stamp, National Membership Director, Working Families , Member, New York State Assembly Onida Coward Mayers, Director of Voter Assistance, NYC Campaign Finance Board Participatory Budgeting Project Pauline Silsby, Student Leader, Democracy Matters Raechel Ritzer, Student Leader, Democracy Matters SUNY Binghamton Rebecca A. Seawright, Member, New York State Assembly Rev. Emily McNeill, Acting Director, Labor-Religion Coalition of NYS Rodneyse Bichotte, Member, New York State Assembly Sarah King, Co-Chair, Legislative Affairs, New York Democratic Lawyers Council Saru Jayaraman, Co-director/Co-founder, Restaurant Opportunities Center United Shabd Simon-Alexander, Co-Founder, 2 Hours A Week Shannon Wong, Chapter Director, New York Civil Liberties Union, Lower Hudson Valley Shelley Mayer, Member, New York State Assembly Shirley Aldebol, Vice President, 32BJ SEIU Shirley Rice, Hector Invincibles Sonia Ossorio, President, National Organization for Women New York Stephanie A. Miner, Mayor, City of Syracuse, N.Y. Susan F Weber, Board Member, Citizen Action of the Capital District Susan Van Dolsen, Co-Organizer, Westchester for Change Sylvia Golbin Goodman, Executive Director, The Andrew Goodman Foundation T. Elzora Cleveland, Parent & Grandmother, Parent Leader Tanya Melich, Co-Founder, National Women's Political Caucus-GOP Taskforce Toby Ann Stavinsky, Senator, New York State Senate , Member, New York State Assembly Velmanette Montgomery, Senator, New York State Senate Vivian D. Kornegay, Member, City of Albany Common Council Yael Melamede, Filmmaker, SALTY Features Zakiyah Ansari, Advocacy Director, Alliance for Quality Education Zephyr Teachout, Activist, Fordham Law School