Tell your representative to support online voter registration
In a democracy, nothing should be easier than registering to vote – that’s why New York City passed a bill creating an online voter registration portal in 2017. However, the portal cannot launch because it’s blocked by an obscure state law. Since voters can currently only register to vote online if they have a file at the state DMV, thousands of New Yorkers might be unable to register to vote during the COVID-19 crisis.
Fortunately, there’s a bill in the state legislature, S6463/A8473, that if passed would immediately allow NYC to launch its portal. Can you take a minute and call your state legislators asking them to support the bill?
Here is how you can contact your officials:
- Find your State Senator here and your Assemblymember here. Leave a message at Governor Cuomo’s office by dialing 518-474-1041 and pressing “1.”
- When you’ve reached their office, say, “I’m calling to ask [official’s name] to support S6463/A8473, which would allow NYC to launch its online voter registration portal. The city’s portal has been ready to go since 2017, but it’s blocked by a state law. Please support the bill – a pandemic is no excuse for blocking people from being able to register to vote safely.”
Thanks so much for your support – the state has been dragging its feet on this for years, and it’s long past time that they take action.