Photo Courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) praised the legislative package as “long overdue action on sensible, effective, and necessary voting reforms.”
By Michael V. Cusenza
Area elected officials this week praised election reform legislation that recently passed both the State Senate and Assembly.
In the Senate, bills were approved to establish initiatives to enable 16 and 17 year olds to pre-register to vote; establish a system of early voting; and consolidate the state and federal primary elections into one day.
Additional measures would make it easier for voters who move within the state to transfer their voter registrations to their new addresses; amend the State Constitution to allow voting by mail; and reform existing absentee ballot rules. The Upper Chamber also voted to support a proposed constitutional amendment to allow residents to register to vote on the same day as an election.
According to State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach), the two proposed constitutional amendments must be approved again in 2020 by the Senate and Assembly, and will then be placed on the ballot for statewide voter consideration during next year’s November general election.
“Voting is a cornerstone of our democracy, and it is imperative we enact measures to allow and encourage more voters to cast their ballots, while protecting the integrity of the voting process,” Addabbo said. “While sensible safeguards are obviously key to ensuring the credibility of the electoral process, we must also remove unnecessarily burdensome obstacles that deter potential voters from having a voice in their own government.”
Addabbo and his Assembly colleagues also lauded legislation that would close the so-called LLC loophole. Under current State law, individuals and corporations can make unlimited contributions to the same candidate, political party or campaign committee by creating multiple LLCs. Each LLC is treated as an individual donor, even if multiple LLCs are owned by the same person or entity, which makes it harder to determine the real contributor and allows them to evade campaign contribution limits.
Addabbo said the loophole “has permitted [LLCs] to skirt existing corporate campaign contribution limits, and withhold information about the specific individuals behind the political donations. This legislation is a great victory that will provide needed legal clarity and transparency in the electoral process – a step that will benefit every single resident who believes in improving the integrity and fairness of our campaign system.”
Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Howard Beach) echoed Addabbo’s enthusiasm for revising NY election laws.
“It’s time to reform some of the most restrictive voting laws in the country in an effort to ensure every New Yorker is heard,’ she said. “With our new partners in the State Senate, we are poised to make good on our promise to New Yorkers and break down barriers to voting.”
