Column from Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay
Voters across New York state will be heading to the polls to make critical decisions regarding which candidates will represent them in the coming term. This year, it is especially important residents get out and vote as elections featuring local candidates, typically, have a lower turnout than in statewide election years.
This year, there are also referendum propositions on the back of the ballot for consideration. Five extremely important measures will be presented for consideration. Perhaps the most concerning include changing the voter-approved redistricting process, eliminating the 10-day-advance voter registration requirement and authorizing no-excuse absentee ballot voting.
A brief breakdown of each of the proposals on the back of this year’s ballot:
Prop. 1: Amends the Apportionment and Redistricting Process – initially approved by New Yorkers in 2014 by a 58-42 margin, voters are being asked to throw out the existing rules before the legislative- and voter-approved process was even implemented.
Prop. 2: Right to Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Healthful Environment – sounds innocuous, but opens the door to widespread litigation in the future and fails to establish a baseline standard for what’s “clean” or “healthy.”
Prop. 3: Eliminates Ten-Day-Advance Voter Registration Requirement – could create a logistical nightmare for poll workers trying to verify residency and eligibility, thereby subject to voter fraud and implementation obstacles.
Prop. 4: Authorizes No-Excuse Absentee Ballot Voting – One in five mail-in ballots were disqualified in the 2020 New York City primary. Yet once again, expanding the absentee option potentially overburdens boards of elections and opens the door to fraud by increasing the opportunity for deceitful “ballot harvesting.”
Prop. 5: Increases the Jurisdiction of the New York City Civil Court – would allow the court to hear and decide claims for up to $50,000.
Voting for the people and laws that govern our communities, our state and our nation is a tremendous privilege. Through this process, each voter has a chance to impact a wide range of policies that affect our day-to-day lives. The opportunity to vote up or down on specific laws is a rarity, and those chances should not be ignored or taken for granted.
If you have any questions about voting guidelines or how ballot propositions work, be sure to speak with a representative from the Board of Elections, or consult with another official government-sanctioned resource. More detailed information about each of the five propositions can be found on the state’s election website.
I am hopeful all eligible New Yorkers make their way to the polls and make their voices heard. And when you vote, please remember to turn over your ballot and sound off on these critical propositions – our democracy depends on it.
If you have any questions or comments on this or any other state issue, or if you would like to be added to my mailing list or receive my newsletter, please contact my office. My office can be reached by mail at 19 Canalview Mall, Fulton, NY 13069 and by email at [email protected]. You may also find me, Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, on Facebook or on Twitter at @WillABarclay.
Press release from Assembly Minority Conference.
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This is an argument from a fascist Republican in favor of voter suppression, against automatic voter registration for all US citizens, and in favor of the continued corporate capitalist destruction of the only environment in the known universe capable of sustaining human life … so that Will Barclay’s rich corporate friends can continue to collect profits.
Yes, do look closely at the propositions … and vote in favor of them … then look closely at the ballot the next time the fascist Republican Will Barclay is running for re-election, and vote for the progressive who actually wants humanity to survive on Earth long-term and actually wants voting in the United States to be easier, not harder. Thanks.
Those who name call (fascist, nazi, etc.) seem to always be liberal extremists who are afraid of any structure or order pertaining to long standing traditions in this country. Yes, by all means, let anyone vote at any time at any place for any thing with no standard of time frame or legality. Fellow voters, please use common sense when voting, and do not be baited into arguments with those who have no standard of fact to their position. Let upstate still be a place unlike downstate, where anything goes.
Those who name-call (liberal extemists, socialists, etc) always seem to be head-in-the- sand conservative ostriches who are afraid of change since it means giving up their blankey.
Politics is like driving: to go forward, put it in “D”; to go backwards, put it in “R”.
Republicans know (shhh) that when voter turnout is heavy, they lose. Any means to stay in office is “fair game”, especially voter suppression and gerrymandered districts.