Photo Courtesy of Councilman Wills’ Office
Councilman Ruben Wills (at lectern) last Friday in Jamaica discussed the pre-election day homeless voter awareness campaign.
By Forum Staff
City Councilmen Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica) and Ben Kallos (D-Manhattan) and the City Department of Homeless Services last Friday announced a joint effort with the Board of Elections to ensure the city’s voter-registered homeless were fully aware of where they had to go on Election Day to cast their ballot.
Wills noted that federal law guarantees homeless citizens the right to vote, so long as the person is: a U.S. citizen; 18 years of age by Dec. 31 of the year in which he or she registers to vote; is 18 years old by the date of the primary, general, or other election; lives at their present address at least 30 days prior to an election; is not in jail or on parole for a felony conviction; cannot claim the right to vote elsewhere; and is registered to vote.
“Three weeks ago, a homeless constituent came into my district office and claimed she had been disenfranchised,” Wills recalled. “At the earliest opportunity, I spoke to BOE Director [Michael] Ryan, and he pledged to meet with my staff to both address her issue and discuss collaborating with DHS on getting the word out pre-Election Day about the ways and means by which these individuals can have their votes counted. I want to thank him and his excellent staff for their cooperation. I also want to thank DHS for its willingness to participate in this effort by agreeing to issue a memorandum to its shelter operators, directing them to notify its residents of their voting rights and how to access to the polls.”
Kallos, chairman of the Council Governmental Operations Committee, said, “We must ensure that everyone who can vote is voting no matter their housing status. Thank you to Council Member Wills for his outstanding work and leadership in preventing disenfranchisement ahead of the upcoming general election. Thank you also to Board of Elections Executive Director Michael Ryan for his work and cooperation in this effort as well as the Department of Homeless Services.”
Department of Social Services Commissioner Stephen Banks added, “We are committed to providing clients with the support and information they need to exercise their fundamental right to vote. We are working with our nonprofit service providers to ensure that homeless New Yorkers get the information they need to make their voices heard and their vote count.”
The joint effort was announced a week after the City Council approved a piece of legislation, originally introduced by Wills two years ago, that requires the Department of Correction to provide absentee ballot applications and forms to the voting eligible individuals in its custody, and forward them to the City BOE. The materials would be provided no later than two weeks prior to any primary, special, or general election.
