Dozens of other states have embraced some version of an Equal Rights Amendment in their constitutions. New Yorkers will get a chance to vote in November on whether to expand the class of people protected against discrimination in the Equal Protection Clause of the state constitution.
“The district attorney decides who to charge with crimes, what crimes to charge, what length of sentence to seek, and what, if any, alternatives to incarceration they will offer. Despite their influence and the ever-expanding role ‘public safety’ occupies in the public discourse, these incumbents rarely face a serious challenger on Election Day.”
In Tuesday’s general election, there are 35 City Council races with more than one candidate on the ballot, as well as contests for Queens District Attorney, Civil Court, Surrogate and Supreme Court judges, and two proposals that would amend the state constitution in relation to debt limits.
“At a time when Americans’ faith in our government is at an all time low, outsourcing the functions of our democracy to a machine with a history of issues and little ability for verification is a risk that New York cannot afford.”
“We still see some of the same voting suppression tactics due to the systemic racism embedded in our voting system. Black women and communities of color continue to fight for the right to vote, work that is especially important as different states throughout the country are actively advancing regressive legislation that will end that right for many.”
“An analysis of voter turnout by the New York City Campaign Finance Board found that from 2008 to 2018, only 3 percent of registered voters cast their vote in every election in which they were eligible. More than a fifth of registered voters did not turn out to vote in any election in which they were eligible to vote.”
A fight over whether to demolish and rebuild apartments at the Chelsea-Elliott and Fulton Houses in lower Manhattan echoes a larger debate over how NYCHA should raise funds for its deteriorating housing stock, and how much of a say tenants will have in those plans.
Unofficial numbers released Sunday by the New York City Board of Elections (BOE) show just 44,611 people participated in early voting, held across nine days in every borough but Staten Island. The polls close at 9 p.m. Tuesday.
“While record youth turnout across the country enabled Democrats to hold the U.S. Senate and make gains in swing districts barely won by President Joe Biden, the New York vote looked more like the pre-Trump era of apathy and disengagement.”
Immigrant advocates say they would prefer to continue to work with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, citing past accomplishments like the Excluded Workers Fund, and worry what a potential Lee Zeldin governorship would mean for their causes.
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