Cymbrowitz Joins Coalition Pushing For Voter-Friendly Reforms

Heather Chin -
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz. (Photo: Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz / Facebook)

As New Yorkers prepare to vote in the presidential primary election tomorrow, April 19, several local elected officials are teaming up to push for reforms to improve voting access and voter experiences.

Our own Assemblymember Steven Cymbrowitz is among those joining this effort, called Vote Better NY, along with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Assemblymembers Jo Anne Simon, Joseph Lentol, Rodneyse Bichotte, and Latrice Walker, as well as state senators Jesse Hamilton and Velmanette Montgomery

Among their asks are: better ballot design, early voting, and an upgraded voter registration system.

“Increasing voter participation, expanding access, and removing barriers that often prevent New Yorkers from participating in elections should be the goal of every elected official,” Cymbrowitz said in a press release. “I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that every voice is heard, every vote is counted, and every citizen has an equal opportunity to participate in our government.”

With the spotlight on New York for tomorrow’s presidential primaries, the elected officials teamed up with Generation Citizen, New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), and South Asian Fund for Education Scholarship Training, to call for voting reforms.

“It’s clear that New York’s outdated election laws contribute to our miserable voter participation rates — ranking us among the bottom five states in the nation year after year,” said Megan Ahearn, program director for NYPIRG. “The Vote Better NY campaign stands for the reforms that remove barriers to voting and support civic participation. It’s time for New York to modernize our elections to better serve our citizens.”

The voting reforms proposed are this:

  • Early voting (A8582A/S3813B) would establish a two-week voting period, including Saturdays and Sundays, to ease long lines on Election Day and give voters flexibility as they balance family and work obligations.
  • The Voter Empowerment Act (A5972/S2583A) would help ensure every eligible citizen is registered to vote and make it easier to update their voting information; features of the bill include an expansion of online registration, the ability for 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register so their registrations become active when they turn 18 years of age, as well as the capacity for government agencies who interact with voters to automatically register them with the Board of Elections unless a voter chooses to opt out.
  • The Voter Friendly Ballot Act (A3389) would create a ballot that is easier to read and understand, addressing font size and layout concerns.

New Yorkers can add their voices to the reform movement by signing the petition on Change.org and using the #VoteBetterNY hashtag.