Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
“Unfettered, unregulated access to social media is a toxin, and a public health crisis, with risks of serious harm for the mental health and wellbeing of our youth,” Health Commissioner Vasan said.
By Forum Staff
City Civic Engagement Commission (CEC) Chairwoman and Executive Director Dr. Sarah Sayeed and Chief Democracy Officer Kathleen Daniel on Tuesday announced a $2 million grassroots “Get Out the Vote” campaign to educate New Yorkers on Ranked Choice Voting, the rights of Limited English Proficient (LEP) voters, and to activate voters to turn out to the polls ahead of the June Primary Election.
This comprehensive campaign run by DemocracyNYC, a program of the CEC, will include a grassroots direct-to-New Yorker outreach and canvassing operation, a $1.1 million targeted multilingual advertising campaign with a focus on ethnic and community media, a CUNY Corps of 100 participating students, and partnerships with community and faith-based organizations. The CEC will continue to provide interpretation services at select Early Voting and Election Day poll sites in the following languages: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin), French, Haitian Creole, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Urdu, and Yiddish.
“With this investment to educate voters about ranked choice voting, DemocracyNYC can work to fill in the gaps in our city’s voter education efforts and reach New Yorkers who are typically left out of the democratic process,” Adams said.
Pursuant to Mayoral Executive Order 88, DemocracyNYC is a program of the CEC. This campaign will build on the foundation and strategies laid by DemocracyNYC in previous election cycles. Efforts will include:
$1.1 Million Multilingual Media Campaign
- Ethnic and Community Media TV, radio, and print advertising.
- An out of home campaign which includes subway, bus shelters and newsstand ads, digital screens in bars, restaurants, barbershops and nail salons, the NYC Ferry, LinkNYC, and more.
- Digital media on social media and streaming services.
- Promotion of multilingual digital games which help New Yorkers practice and understand how Ranked Choice Voting works.
Direct Outreach
- Investments in Community and Faith-Based Organizations, to conduct in-person outreach, voter education and activation, including in the 33 neighborhoods hardest hit by COVID-19.
- Hosting and facilitating multilingual voter education teach-ins.
- Conducting Citywide Days of Action including Phone Banking, Peer-to-Peer Texting, and Community Canvassing to Get Out the Vote for the June Primary.
- Developing a CUNY student corps to conduct voter outreach, voter education, and volunteer recruitment.
- Collaborating with NYC Service and the Spread Love NYC campaign to build a volunteer base of New Yorkers committed to stopping the drop between voter registration and voter activation.
Language Access and Accessibility Resources
- As part of its charter-mandated programming, the CEC provides language interpreters at poll sites.
- Investing in translation of key voter education resources in multiple languages including printed materials and public service announcements.
- Sharing culturally competent video content advising New Yorkers of their right to vote in their language.
“DemocracyNYC is committed to building a movement to create a culture of voting in NYC,” Daniel said. “The vote is one of our sacred rights (as citizens) and one of the keys to building community power. This grassroots, multilingual, multimedia campaign will empower New Yorkers to engage and inform voters in their own communities and work to stop the drop between voter registration and voter activation. These efforts will help to ensure that in every election, our voices are heard, and the voters win.”
