PROGRAM

Coming on the heels of record turnouts in the 2020 elections, state legislatures nationwide have moved to restrict access to the ballot under the guise of securing future elections—even with no evidence of mass voter fraud. With new laws already enacted or under consideration in Georgia, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Wisconsin, and elsewhere, the State of New York has an opportunity to lead by example by expanding access to the ballot box. In 2019, New York did institute a series of reforms to ease access to participation in the democratic process. Now, Albany is considering another round of voter accessibility initiatives intended to further broaden ballot access. What do these proposed legislative changes entail? What obstacles to the ballot remain here? How will the efforts to make voting more accessible in New York State impact new voters and critical policy issues, particularly for youth, people of color, and those who attend CUNY? What opportunities are available to get involved in advocating for reform that would further expand ballot access?

Join us on Wednesday, June 9 at 1:00 PM EDT for a panel discussion moderated by Charles Tien, Professor, Department of Political Science, Hunter College, and featuring Jarret Berg, co-founder and voting rights counsel at Vote Early NY; Jacob Bezner, Field Manager, Deputy GOTV Coordinator, and Broome County Absentee Canvass Coordinator for Anthony Brindisi’s 2020 Congressional campaign; Brianna Cea, founder, and CEO of Generation Vote; Lulu Friesdat, Executive Director and co-founder of SMART Elections, a non-partisan project targeting national election reform; and Timothy Hunter, former Student Voting Member, CUNY Board of Trustees and Chairperson of CUNY University Student Senate.