Whew! April 19th has come and gone (along with the presidential candidates) and now we’re left with outrage about purged voters, poorly trained workers at many polling sites, and – on clear display this year – our very restrictive NY election laws. Finally everyone could see how wrong it is that if you want to change your party affiliation you had to think to do that last October! And don’t get us started on how tight a grip the two major parties have on every other aspect of our voting as well.
But what an opportunity this presents to all of us to speak out in all media about these issues! We will be sending out a sample letter that you can use. We hope you’re gathering local statistics you can use as well. Don’t hesitate to send us stories from your polling places right away. They’ll really help us round out our picture of what happened across the state.
And while voters are frustrated, encourage them to join the League and work with you and us to make NY’s elections more open and fair and to increase voter turn-out.
The election happened only days after our last two regional meetings in Syracuse and Buffalo and we thank the local Leagues who helped make these a success. You came full of energy and many reported going home even more energized, and those of us from “State” loved seeing and hearing all of you. Hearing about Albany battles and from the Con Con and organ donation speakers and participating in the discussions on getting out the vote, the Centennial of the vote for women, and having FUN were highlights for many.
But best of all for all of us is just the opportunity to connect with one another and swap stories. We’ll see what you all say when we send out a survey. Meanwhile you can click here to view the handouts we shared (link also available on the homepage of the state website).
I hope to see many of you in Albany on May 10 for Lobby Day and at the LWVUS Convention in Washington, DC in mid-June.
Dare Thompson, President
League of Women Voters of NYS
darethompson@gmail.com
Facebook: League of Women Voters of NYS
Twitter: @LWVNYS
