The Independent View: NYS 2020 Executive Budget

These are some items in the New York State 2020 Executive Budget that deals with Voting and Campaign Finance.

In the first 12 weeks of the 2019 Legislative Session, New York State made Historic Progress with the Passage of the following Landmark Achievements:

- Closed the LLC Loophole: Businesses using LLC's will not be able to contribute to Candidates under each LLC and violate Contribution Limits. Now their Contributions will be Totaled for all their Contributions, so they will not be able to Violate the Limits per Contributor.

- Synchronized Federal and State Primary Elections in June.

- Voter Pre-Registration for Minors.

- Early Voting - The State has allocated $10 Million for Operations Costs.

- Universal Transfer of Voter Registration when moving within State.

- Advanced No-excuse Absentee Voting. Requires another Legislature Vote and Ballot Question for Voters.

- Advanced Same-Day Registration. Requires another Legislature Vote and Ballot Question for Voters.

Create a Commission to look at Removing Fusion Voting from the State Constitution. If this becomes Law, Minor Parties will not be able to Support Major Party Candidates on their Ballot Lines.

Enacts the Democracy Agenda: Building upon Voting Reform Passed within the first 10 weeks of the Legislative Session, additional Legislation mandating:

- Three Hours of Paid Time Off for All New Yorkers to Vote on Election Day

- Enacting Online Voter Registration - Starting in 2021, New York Voters will be able to Register to Vote Online through the State Board of Elections website. Currently, New York Voters are only able to Register or Update their Voter Registration through an Online DMV Portal if they have a License.

- $14.7 Million in Funding for E-Poll Books - Instead of relying on Paper-based Voter Rolls, Counties will now be able to use Electronic Poll Books on Election Day. Electronic Poll Books have already Proven to Save Voters Time at Poll Sites, Increase the Accuracy of voter Rolls, and save Election Administrators Money over the years. They will also be Critical for Counties implementing Early Voting in November 2019.

- Expanding Upstate Voting Hours - Next year, All New Yorkers will be able to Vote from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. during a Primary Election. Currently, the vast Majority of the State can Only Vote from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. during a Primary.

Campaign Finance Reform: Implements Public Campaign Finance: The FY 2020 Enacted Budget establishes a Public Financing Commission that will have the Binding Power to Implement Public Campaign Financing for Legislative and Statewide Offices, Authorizing up to $100 Million Annually in Public Funds. The Commission will determine Specific Aspects of the Public Financing System, including Eligibility Thresholds, Public Financing Limits, and Contribution Limits for participating Candidates. The Commission’s findings will be Due in a Report by December 1st, 2019 and will be Binding unless Modified or Reject by Law within 20 days.

Supporters of Public Financing say it would Reduce the Influence of Money in Politics. Many Expressed Tepid Support for the Commission, since it will Empower an Unelected Commission to largely Circumvent the Legislature.

Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause-New York, called the Commission "a ploy" and said Public Financing of Campaigns is Too Complicated an Issue to be jammed into a State Budget. "New Yorkers deserve to get it right," she said.