Hello Advocates:
Thank you again for supporting our Restore the Vote forum last week. This conversation is sweeping the nation and presidential candidates are already staking out their positions. Find out more HERE.
In response to the call for universal voting, Governor Cuomo firmly dismissed the proposition. He had this to say:
“You are in prison for a felony, you’re paying your debt to society. I don’t think you should have the right to vote and participate as a full citizen.”
Read more HERE
Those of us who attended the forum last week and/or have researched this topic know and understand that New York’s voting laws are steeped in racism. And to uphold these laws, more than a century later, without any reflection on why they were passed and if they are still needed does a disservice to all New Yorkers. Nowhere in our constitution does it state that a person loses their citizenship when convicted of a felony. Instead, the restrictions to felony enfranchisement are by operation of political calculations that we have the duty, and the right, to question.
While we at BVA are advocating for universal voting, where losing the right to vote becomes the exception (like in instances of election fraud) rather than the rule. We understand that not everyone is ready for such transformational change (six million people across the nation have lost their right to vote) and that opinions will not change in a day. Therefore, if you are not supportive of universal voting, we challenge you to first, engage with your individual understanding of this issue and formulate your reasons for non-support, and second, to share your opinions and work with us as we explore our advocacy in this area. We want to hear all voices as we work towards our goal of establishing a more just democracy. Want to learn more?
- Scroll down to the end to read our one-sheet.
- Check out The Sentencing Project. HERE.
- The New York Times op-ed “Tell Me Again Why Prisoners Can’t Vote.” HERE.
- 2016 article from The Atlantic: Polls for Prisons. HERE.
Whether you support universal voting or not, you should still participate in our call day!
We have 2 goals:
- To gather information on whether your representative supports codifying Governor Cuomo’s executive order granting a conditional pardon to people on parole, thereby restoring their right to vote and/or universal voting and
- To demand that the state legislature pass legislation codifying Governor Cuomo’s executive order
Please also report back by responding to this email if you receive an answer to goal #1 or have any comments/suggestions to share!
CALL NUMBERS:
| State Senator | Assembly | ||
| District 17 | Simcha Felder518-455-2754 | District 41 | Helene Weinstein518-455-5462 |
| District 18 | Julia Salazar518-455-2177 | District 42 | Rodneyse Bichotte518-455-5385 |
| District 19 | Roxanne Persaud518-455-2788 | District 43 | Diana Richardson518-455-5262 |
| District 20 | Zellnor Myrie518-455-2410 | District 44 | Robert Carroll518-455-5592 |
| District 21 | Kevin S. Parker518-455-2580 | District 45 | Steven Cymbrowitz518-455-5214 |
| District 22 | Andrew Gounardes518-455-3270 | District 46 | Mathylde Frontus518-455-4811 |
| District 23 | Diane Savino518-455-2437 | District 47 | William Colton518-455-5828 |
| District 25 | Velmanette Montgomery518-455-3451 | District 48 | Simcha Eichenstein518-455-5948 |
| District 26 | Brian Kavanagh518-455-2625 | District 49 | Peter Abbate518-455-3053 |
| District 50 | Joseph Lentol518-455-4477 | ||
| District 51 | Félix Ortiz518-455-3828 | ||
| District 52 | Jo Anne Simon518-455-5426 | ||
| District 53 | Maritza Davila518-455-5789 | ||
| District 54 | Erik Dilan518-455-5821 | ||
| District 55 | Latrice Walker518-455-4466 | ||
| District 56 | Tremaine Wright518-455-5474 | ||
| District 57 | Walter T. Mosley518-455-5325 | ||
| District 58 | N. Nick Perry518-455-4166 | ||
| District 59 | Jaime Williams518-455-5211 | ||
| District 60 | Charles Barron518-455-5912 | ||
| District 61 | Charles Fall518-455-4677 | ||
| District 62 | Michael Reilly518-455-4501 | ||
| District 63 | Michael Cusick518-455-5526 | ||
| District 64 | Nicole Malliotakis518-455-5970 |
Enter your address here to find your State Senator and Assembly member information: http://www.mygovnyc.org/
Have some thoughts for Governor Cuomo? Feel free to call!
Governor Cuomo: 518-474-8390 (press 2)
For more information or to join BVA:
Email: BKvotersalliance@gmail.com
Website: https://bkvotersalliance.org/On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BKvotersalliance/
On Twitter: @BKVoters
On Instagram: bkvotersalliance