NYC 2017 Election Debate Schedule

The New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) announced the Sponsors and Schedule for the New York City Debate Program for the 2017 Elections. The CFB has Administered the Debate Program in every Citywide Election since 1997. The program is a Core Component of NYC Votes, the CFB’s Nonpartisan Voter Engagement Campaign.

"In this fall's citywide elections, New Yorkers have the opportunity to vote for the kind of city they want to live in. Voters want information about where the candidates stand on the issues that matter most in their everyday lives, from jobs to schools to the cost of living. The CFB’s Debate Program is a critical part of our effort to get that information to voters and help them get ready to cast an informed ballot," said Amy Loprest, Executive Director of the NYC Campaign Finance Board.

The CFB Administers the Debate Program, and Individual Debates are sponsored by Media Outlets, Civic Groups, and Academic Institutions. After a thorough, competitive process, the CFB has selected two Sponsor Groups, in order to reach as wide and diverse an audience as possible. The sponsor Groups are as follows:

- WCBS, WLNY 1055, NewsRadio 880, 1010 WINS, Daily News, Common Cause/NY, City University of New York (CUNY), New York Immigration Coalition, Rock the Vote

- Spectrum News NY1, WNYC, POLITICO, Citizens Union, Civic Hall, Intelligence Squared, Latino Leadership Institute

The first Mayoral Primary Election Debates will take place on August 16th and 23rd, and the Mayoral General Election Debates will take place on October 10th and on November 1st. Each Debate will be Broadcast on Television, on the Radio, and Online.

CLICK HERE for the two page (pdf) schedule.











NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Lobbying NY Capital for Better Voting Laws

About 175 New Yorkers gathered outside a building on Church Street, waiting to board a bus to Albany. Some had left their Staten Island and Queens homes as early as 4 a.m. to make departure on time, others had taken the day off work or school, all were there for the same reason: to meet with State lawmakers and convince them to modernize New York’s antiquated Election laws.

Four buses pulled into the State capital a few hours later and members of the Vote Better NY Coalition lined up on the stairs of West Capitol Park, behind the New York State Capitol Building, for a rally calling for passage of legislation to enact early voting, automatic voter registration, and better ballot design. These reforms, advocates say, would help to increase New York’s dismal voter turnout by making it far easier for New Yorkers to register to vote and to cast their ballots.

The May 3 trip to Albany, the rally, and the 74 meetings with Legislators and the Governor’s office scheduled for the day were organized by NYC Votes, the non-partisan voter engagement campaign of the New York City Campaign Finance Board. Tuesday marked the third annual NYC Votes lobby day, wherein New York City residents head north to Albany by the busload to push for voting reform, and the delegation has nearly doubled in size since last year when about 100 people attended, up from about 50 the first year.

The Vote Better NY coalition was joined for its rally by two State Assembly members and four State Senators, all of whom have either introduced or sponsored voting reform bills supported by the coalition, some of which have passed in the Democratic-controlled Assembly for years, only to die every time in the Republican-led Senate.

“We still vote like it’s the 19th century and voters are sick and tired of election laws designed to benefit elected officials, rather than the voters,” said Onida Coward Mayers, Director of Voter Sssistance at NYC Votes.

“You know how they say, ‘there’s an app for that’? Well, there’s an act for that,” Mayers said, referring to the Voter Empowerment Act, a voting reform bill package that would expand online registration, allow certain Government agencies to automatically register citizens to vote, extend Party change and registration deadlines, and permit pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds. “Voters in 37 other states have early voting,” Mayers added, “Why not New York?”

The exclusively Democratic group of lawmakers present at the rally made their support for voting reform clear as ever, and repeatedly expressed exasperation at the lack of support for such reforms from their colleagues “across the aisle,” creating a situation where those who profess their support for voting reform offload all of the blame for the lack of movement on the reforms onto those who do not support the legislation.











NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Activists Lobby Albany for Election Reform

On April 22, 2015, the second annual "Vote Better NY" Advocacy Day for Election Reform organized by NYC Votes, a non-partisan voter engagement initiative run by the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) and its Voter Assistance Advisory Committee.

The delegation, of about 100 students, volunteers, and good government activists, left the New York City at 6 a.m. with the carefully defined objective of pushing state Senators and Assembly members on three voting issues: online voter registration, better ballot design, and early voting.

Splitting into groups of five or six, activists worked the halls of the Capitol and the legislative office building, participating in back-to-back pre-arranged meetings with legislative staff or legislators themselves.

The numbers in yesterday's delegation are an indicator of an increasing consciousness among New Yorkers that reforming the voting process is necessary, particularly considering that New York hit the historically low point of 28.8 percent voter turnout in the 2014 gubernatorial election.

At the end of the day, NYC Votes had made its mark.  The delegation was recognized both in the Assembly and Senate sessions for its work in promoting voting reform.  "We do know the politics still plays after we leave their four walls," Onida Coward Mayers said with cautious optimism. "I'm very proud of the message that we sent that we will be heard," she said. "There needs to be election reform, citizens matter and citizens want change.  New Yorkers want an easier, friendly, 21st century democracy."

2015 agenda focuses on broad, common sense reforms:

Online Voter Registration: We have a pen-and-paper voter registration system that is stuck in the 19th century.  It’s time we bring voter registration into the 21st century.  We do so many things online, from banking to paying bills to buying our groceries.  Registering to vote should be no different.  According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), 21 states currently offer online voter registration. (Bills: A05564/S00859)

MHD: I would be against any bill that did not start with first having your picture taken and citizenship checked at the DMV.

Better Ballot Design: Poor ballot design not only frustrates voters and causes problems on the day of an election, it’s the reason why thousands of votes are “lost or miscast” during every election cycle.  In New York, specifically, the 2010 elections saw thousands of votes invalidated because of ‘over votes’ or the incorrect selection of multiple candidates. (Bills: A03389; A05622/S02154)

MHD: The current optical voting system catches over-voters.  So the voter would have to accept the error, that would then invalidate their ballot.

Early Voting: New York is one of just 15 states that does not allow voters to cast a ballot prior to Election Day without providing an excuse.  In 2012, nearly one-third of U.S. voters opted to cast their ballots prior to Election Day.  Advantages include avoiding long lines at the polls, and the flexibility of voting on the weekend.

Pre-registration of 16 and 17 Year Olds: The NCSL lists 22 states that allow teens to register to vote prior to turning 18 and automatically adds them to the voter rolls on their 18th birthday.  Pre-registration is a practical, proactive way to encourage participation and turnout among the youngest voters.

Vote by Mail: The desire for convenience permeates every facet of our modern-day lives and the act of voting should be no different.  Mail-in voting allows voters to cast their ballot from the comfort of their own home, ensuring they have ample time to review their choices and make an informed decision.  Colorado, Oregon and Washington have all converted to universal vote-by-mail systems.  During the 2014 mid-term elections, voter turnout in those states exceeded the national average.

MHD: This is were voter ID fraud can take place.  For this type of voting to work, there has to be a to generate a unique code to be used to identify the voter with the received mail ballot, but a separate way to deliver the code and the mail ballot.

Compulsory Voting: While many Americans are passing up their right to vote, some countries don’t give their citizens that option. Australia and 13 other countries have compulsory voting laws.  Since 1924, Australians have been mandated to “mark a ballot” in federal elections.  Those who do not comply are subject to a small fine.  Australia boasts a 95 percent voter participation rate.  In Brazil, when you turn 65, voting becomes optional.











NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker Technorati Tag in Del.icio.us

National Voter Registration Day

Today is National Voter Registration Day.

Congratulations to all the newly naturalized American citizens!  NYC Votes is helping them register to vote at their naturalization ceremony.

CLICK HERE to register to vote.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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NYC Voter Assistance Advisory Committee

The New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) includes a division called the Voter Assistance Advisory Committee (VAAC). It is comprised of nine mem­bers whose role is to advise the CFB on voter engagement. The membership of VAAC includes:

•two members appointed by the mayor (who cannot be enrolled in the same political party)
•two members appointed by the speaker of the City Council (who cannot be enrolled in the same political party)
•one member appointed by the comptroller
•one member appointed by the borough presidents acting together
•the public advocate
•the executive director of the board of elections (or, in his or her absence, the deputy execu­tive director)
•one member appointed by the mayor in consultation with the speaker to serve as chair.

In making appointments to the committee, the New York City Charter advises that “the mayor, speaker, comptrol­ler and borough presidents shall consider experience with groups or categories of residents that are underrepresented among those who vote or among those who are registered to vote and community, voter registration, civil rights, and disabled groups.”

VAAC holds public hearings to solicit and hear testimony from members of the public, good government groups, and public officials regarding how to improve voter assistance in New York City, and makes recommendations to the CFB to help the agency develop and implement a com­prehensive voter engagement plan.

I have been attending these hearings and here are some of the suggestions:

- Pre-register to vote at 16, with automatic move to registered at 18. Would receive school civic credit.
- Allow to be poll worker at 18.
- Automatic registration when getting hunting/fishing license.
- Allow immigrants to vote in municipal elections.
- More languages on ballot.
- No excuse absentee voting.
- 15 days of early voting.
- Register to vote 10 days before election.
- Reduce the percent required for a hand recount This was to redress part of the issue of the upcoming primary/recount problem. The state legislature has voted to increase the time between the primary and the runoff to 3 weeks. They are in two different bills, so we do not know what the final bill will look like.

The VAAC produces a Paper/Digital/Video Voter Guide. The Voter Guide candidate profile is due June 12, 2013 and the Video Voter Guide script is due June 26, 2013. There also is a new app called "NYC Votes". It will include:

- Research candidate information.
- Find your poll location.
- View CFB information about candidates.
- View Social Media about candidates.
- Donate to a candidate with matching funds information.
- Allow candidates to automatically file their CFB data.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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An App to Engage NYC Voters and Candidates

New York City hopes to get more people engaged in this year's pivotal election with a new web app that aims to benefit both campaigns and voters. The web app, named NYC Votes, will streamline campaign donations and also serve as a resource on candidates and the election. The software draws from the city's campaign finance data and is expected to be released in two weeks. It will be available on most browser-enabled devices, including phones and tablets.

"We started from the premise of creating a much more seamless, end-to-end experience for participants in the voting process," said Art Chang, the chairman of the Voter Assistance Advisory Committee of the city's Campaign Finance Board, who is in charge of developing the software. The initial goal of the tool, Chang said, was to make "life easier for candidates, for constituents and for the Campaign Finance Bureau's (CFB) audit staff," particularly surrounding small donations.

The city's 6-to-1 public matching system is designed to encourage a broad spectrum of people to contribute in small amounts. In 2009, contributions of $175 or less made up nearly 70 percent of all contributions, according to the CFB. "In the past these contributions have caused a lot of headaches," said Chang, whose firm lent a project manager to the app effort.

NYC Votes overcomes this by handling the credit card processing while also verifying addresses for compliance, enabling virtually any candidate to start taking plastic. A magnet card swipe reader can also be used with the software, so that even campaign staffers at fundraising events can use their mobile devices to record contributions.

While initially aimed at helping campaigns to deal with donations, developers say they plan to add features in the coming months that will allow voters to find and research candidates; interact over social media; localize their ballot; and get elections results.

The app was developed by the Voter Assistance Advisory Committee (VAAC) of the CFB with the assistance of partners from the city's civic-oriented tech developer community, including Pivotal Labs and Method. TekServe, an Apple sales specialist, has agreed to help candidates get swiping technology working on their devices.

I hope the software interface will be able to determine if a contributor has already met their matching fund limit and total contribution limit. It will also need the ability to enter the necessary information and check-off boxes so the candidate has enough information to properly file the contribution to the CFB.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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