New York State has long ranked near the bottom of the list for voting rights in the United States, despite being a blue state that has been largely governed by Democrats for years. Only after 2018, following the defeat of the IDC in the NYS Senate, have we begun to make strides to catch up with voting rights expansion and make it easier for people across the state to vote, and we are still catching up. Our state Board of Elections is in dire need of reform, and voting is still difficult for many, leading to decreased participation and typically low voter turnout in many localities. 

In addition to the work needed in New York State, voting rights have been under prolonged attack by the Republican party at the federal and state levels. Following the gutting of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) by the Supreme Court, regressive voter suppression laws have been implemented all around the country, and new federal law is desperately needed to restore the VRA and implement new protections to guard against partisan gerrymandering, voter suppression, and dark money influence on politics. 

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