Stand Up America Celebrates New York Restoring Voting Rights to 43,000 Returning Citizens
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
PRESS CONTACT:
press@standupamerica.com
Group Drove 2,200 Calls and Emails to Lawmakers In Support of S.830 // A4448
After S.830 // A4448, legislation that permanently restores voting rights to 43,000 returning citizens, was signed into law by the Governor yesterday, Stand Up America issued the following statement:
“Voting rights are too important to leave to gubernatorial discretion. In passing this bill, New York State has become a progressive leader by permanently re-enfranchising the tens of thousands of New Yorkers who have returned to their communities from incarceration.
“We commend the activists and organizers—including our own community members—who championed this legislation through the halls of Albany, and lawmakers like Sen. Leroy Comrie, Sen. Zellnor Myrie, Rep. Daniel O’Donnell, and Rep. Latrice Walker who fought for its passage.
“Building on this historic win, Stand Up America is mobilizing to pass legislation restoring the freedom to vote to currently incarcerated people in Oregon, and working to pass the For the People Act through Congress, which would restore the voting rights of returning citizens in every state.”
New York’s new law codifies, clarifies, and expands upon the executive order issued by the governor in 2018 by creating a bright-line rule that is easy to administer and understand: If you are a citizen living in the community you are immediately eligible to vote. The bill also requires that New Yorkers be informed of their newly restored voting rights before being released and that they also receive a voter registration application.
Before it was signed into law, Stand Up America’s community members in New York drove 2,200 calls and emails to state lawmakers in support of the bill. The group partnered with Alliance of Families for Justice, Brennan Center, Brooklyn Voter Alliance, Citizen Action of New York, Parole Preparation Project, VOCAL-NY, and numerous other groups to pressure the state legislature to pass the bill.
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About Stand Up America
Stand Up America is a progressive advocacy organization with over two million community members across the country. Focused on grassroots advocacy to stand up to corruption and voter suppression and build a more representative democracy, Stand Up America has driven over 1.4 million calls to lawmakers, registered tens of thousands of voters, mobilized thousands of protestors, and contacted tens of millions of voters.
Website: StandUpAmerica.com
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