An exciting time for election reform in New York

The outcome of elections in New York State should reflect the will of the people. But the unfortunate reality is that they often instead reflect the will of the powerful.

I am encouraged to see Gov. Cuomo join the Assembly’s longstanding call for election reforms, and I am excited to finally have a Democratic majority in the state senate, who will stand united with us in 2019.

For years, I helped pass legislation which would allow early voting, no-excuse absentee ballots, online voter registration, consolidated primary elections, and more — only to see each and every bill die in the formerly Republican-controlled state senate. This finally will change in 2019, starting this month. New York will be a state controlled by the people, instead of a state with regressive voting laws designed to concentrate power in the hands of a few.

I believe we must act simultaneously in two directions in order to achieve our desired impact of restoring power to the people: Ensure that as many people who want to vote are able to do so easily, and ensure that people are heard more loudly than corporations.

I have always held these beliefs, and it is truly wonderful to see election reform finally getting the attention it deserves.

In order to help more people cast their ballots, we will both facilitate voter registration and expand voter access. New Yorkers will be allowed to vote early, which will help reduce voting wait times as well as provide flexibility to address any voter registration errors that may arise. If somebody isn’t registered to vote, they will be allowed to do so on the same day as an election.

Those who are 16 and 17 will be allowed to pre-register to vote in order to boost participation among younger people — the very people who will be most impacted by decisions on issues such as climate change and infrastructure investment. New Yorkers will be able to vote by absentee ballot without providing any excuse. The state and federal primaries will be on the same day.

I’m proud that my own bill, which allows transfer of voter registration throughout New York State — just as we already have in New York City — will also be passed. We still need to implement automatic voter registration and mandate that a voter information card is sent out to all newly registered voters to facilitate party enrollment and subsequent participation in party primaries.

We still need to implement electronic poll books and readable ballots.

I support each of these reforms, and many of them have repeatedly passed the Assembly over the past several years. It’s time for them to be passed by the state senate and get sent to the governor’s desk for his signature.

A functional democracy that reflects the will of the people is about more than just registering to vote and casting a ballot, however. It’s about making sure that we elect people that have our communities’ best interests at heart — not the interests of a select (and wealthy) few. In 2018, according to the Brennan Center, just 100 people donated more total dollars to political campaigns than 137,000 small donors who gave less than $175 each.

Statewide candidates in New York can collect up to $44,000 per person for a general election campaign. We need to lower these contribution limits to a reasonable amount.

I am proud that we will close the limited liability corporation loophole, which allows wealthy people and corporations to circumvent contribution limits by donating money through an unlimited number of shell corporations.

New York has suffered from low voter participation for long enough. Far too many people have lost faith in the electoral process, thinking their vote doesn’t matter and that the system is rigged. For years, the powerful gave mere lip service to election reform while doing everything they could behind the scenes to prevent real change from happening.

Not anymore. With full Democratic control of both legislative chambers, along with support from the governor, the people will finally have their voices heard. This legislation is just the beginning.

The author is the Assemblyman representing the 81st district.