Press Release
Charter Review Commission Must Delay Ballot Proposals Due to Rushed Process
Given historically quick timeline, expansive scope of Commission's work, and lack of public input, Commission's proposals must wait until next year's ballot
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Press Release
Voters in Syracuse Will Decide on Independent Redistricting Commission Proposal
The Syracuse Common Council yesterday took historic action toward creating an independent redistricting commission to draw districts for the City of Syracuse. The Common Council voted 7-1 in favor of a charter amendment that will require future redistricting to be done by an independent redistricting commission that includes members of both parties and safeguards against conflicts of interest from the members of the commission.
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“Early voting is going to make a significant difference for countless numbers of New Yorkers by making polling places so much more accessible and allow voters to determine when it is most convenient for them,” said Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York.
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Lawmakers and advocates on Thursday rallied at the Capitol for a bill that would automatically register people to vote in New York — a measure supporters say is needed to fully engage the public in the political process. The proposal would work like this: Anytime a potential voter interacts with state government through actions like submitting an application for driver's licenses or a fishing permit, they would be automatically registered to vote. They would have to affirmatively opt out of being registered.
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"It's an...
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“The Boards of Elections (BOE) across the state are setting up voters to fail in November by trying to sabotage early voting,” said Common Cause Executive Director Susan Lerner. “New Yorkers need access to voting centers in non-traditional locations, close to transportation, county-wide, and including local and state facilities. We’ve fought too hard to let New York vote, we’re not about the back down now.”
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In a letter, the New York Civil Liberties Union, Common Cause New York and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law said the plan “will impose a severe burden on many of the City’s low-income voters.”
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“The Board of Elections is doing the bare minimum to implement early voting, especially in Queens where there are more voters assigned to each polling site than any other borough,” Common Cause New York Executive Director Susan Lerner said. “This is not only inexcusable, but likely a violation of state law. We need between 50-100 voting centers across the city to serve New Yorkers in non-traditional locations, close to transportation, borough-wide, and including city and state facilities. Both the city and the state have devoted millions...
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“It’s a violation of voter privacy and I think it doesn’t follow the requirements of New York’s election law,” Susan Lerner of Common Cause NY said. According to Lerner, the law says the info can only be provided to people who use it for election purposes.
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But one person’s transparency is another’s invasion of privacy. Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause NY, called the move "shocking," particularly after states, including New York, refused to turn over voter data to the federal government for President Trump’s now defunct voter fraud commission.
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The BOE has proposed purchasing a new fleet of uncertified voting machines to solve the issues, but local officials say that will only add to the problems.
“It’s hackable, the ballot is changeable,” said Susan Lerner with Common Cause.
“It’s hackable, the ballot is changeable,” said Susan Lerner with Common Cause.
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“I think we are headed in the right direction,” said Susan Lerner, executive director of the Common Cause-NY good-government group which has long supported opening the budget process more to rank-and-file legislators and the public. “They still don’t know how to do a legislative process.”
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Councilors Wednesday received a presentation from Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York, a statewide advocacy group that lobbies for better government processes. Lerner said the council’s current policy of letting its members draw the districts is a blatant conflict of interest.
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"It’s a mixed bag,” said Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York, a government reform group. “A more open, lengthier process probably would have given us a stronger result.
“But I don’t want to undercut the fact that we’re at least talking about these things and at least moving some reforms.”
“But I don’t want to undercut the fact that we’re at least talking about these things and at least moving some reforms.”