New NY Law Guarantees Protection of the Right to Vote by Eliminating Barriers – NBC4 New York

Governor Kathy Hochul signed the landmark John Act into law on Monday. R. Lewis of New York Voting Rights that positions the state as a national leader in voting rights by ensuring that barriers to access to the polls are removed. The measure occurs prior to the primary elections on June 28.

Legislation S.1046-E/A.6678-E will encourage participation in the vote by all eligible voters. In particular, members of racial, ethnic and linguistic minority groups will now be protected by new measures that will ensure they have an equal opportunity to vote in New York State.

The law was signed by the Democrat from Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn and was joined by Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, State Senator Zellnor Myrie, Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, Speaker of the State Conference of New York from the NAACP, Dr. Hazel N. Dukes, and key voting rights advocates.

“At a time when the very foundations of our democracy are under threat, New York leads the nation with new laws that protect the fundamental right to vote,” Governor Hochul said. “Today, we honor the work of the late Congressman John Lewis and activists like Medgar Evers in making significant changes to our laws that empower voters and ensure people’s voices are heard in our democracy. Where the federal government fails to act, New York will continue to step up and lead the way: we did it with abortion protections, we did it with gun safety reforms, and I’m very proud to say we’re doing it again with voting rights.”

This legislation addresses:

• Voter Dilution: Prohibits election methods that remove the voting strength of a protected class and establishes legal protections for violations.
• Voter Suppression: Prohibits election-related laws and practices from being implemented in a way that denies members of a protected class the right to vote and establishes legal protections for violations.
• Intimidation, deception or obstruction of voters: Prohibits acts of intimidation, deception, or obstruction that impair New Yorkers’ ability to access their right to vote and establishes legal protections for violations.
• Expanded language assistance: Requires assistance with election-related language beyond that required by the federal Voting Rights Act.
• Prior authorization: Establishes a status analogous to the now-dormant “Section 5 preauthorization” of the federal Voting Rights Act, which requires covered jurisdictions to “preauthorize” any changes in certain material election-related laws and policies before they are can implement them. Under the new law, covered jurisdictions seeking to make a change to a variety of ballot measures will first need to review those changes to ensure they do not violate the voting rights of a protected class. Covered jurisdictions are those with a history of voting or civil rights violations.

“As a black man who represented a congressional district that is nearly 90 percent white, in one of the most rural areas of the country, and as the first person of color to represent upstate New York in the Congress, my experience is proof that voting can bring about changes that once seemed out of reach,” said Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado. “By amending the election laws in New York State, we are giving all people, regardless of the color of their skin or where they live, an equal opportunity to have their voices heard at the polls.”

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