Shaping the future of New York’s state’s voter registration

The state Board of Elections recently announced it will start automatically enrolling New Yorkers to vote when they receive their drivers licenses in the second quarter of 2025 – more than three years after the implementation date for the law passed in 2020. City & State in conjunction with New Yorkers for Inclusive Democracy will examine what the holdups have been and if there is still work to be done to get New Yorkers out to the polls on Election Day with experts in the field this Friday at its Democracy in New York: Defending and Securing Voting Rights Forum.

The event, to be held at the New York Law School in Lower Manhattan Tribeca neighborhood, will gather legal professionals, advocates and government officials focusing on issues facing New Yorkers seeking to register to vote and government agencies tasked with ensuring all New Yorkers have access to the ballot box on election days.

“This year’s event will present discussions dedicated to the needs of voter registration across the state’s diverse regions as growing populations in cities and counties are struggling to adapt to new technologies and shifting constituencies,” said City & State Editor-in-Chief Ralph R. Ortega, who will moderate the event. “We expect many will want to listen to what our advocates and lawmakers – including government officials like Assembly Member Latrice Walker, have to say.”

A special presentation, “The Sleeping Giant: Unregistered Voters in New York,” by Professor John Mollenkopf, of the City University of New York Graduate Center, will address a shift to the right in many New York neighborhoods which was decades-in-the-making, followed by three panels.

• The first panel, “Automatic Voter Registration – The Road to Full Implementation,” will highlight innovative approaches to addressing Automatic Voter Registration. The discussion will focus on how state policies are shaping the availability and accessibility of AVR, but what remains to be done? This panel, moderated by Brigid Bergin, senior reporter for WNYC News & Gothamist, will explore the status of AVR implementation, barriers to seamless voter registration, and how it can boost voter participation, especially in marginalized communities. Also featured will be Karines Reyesl, Assembly Member from New York’s District 87; Wennie Chin, senior director for civic participation at the New York Immigration Coalition; Tuulikki Robertson, executive director at The Black Institute and Rosalie Johnson, a former Department of Motor Vehicle Official from Colorado.

• The second panel, “Ensuring Voting Rights for the Incarcerated,” will address critical challenges facing incarcerated individuals looking to register to vote, including the Democracy During Detention Act, which is legislation seeking to guarantee voting access for individuals detained in local jails who retain their right to vote. The panel will also delve into possible legal, logistical, and advocacy efforts needed to implement DDDA and ensure full voting access for detained individuals. This panel, moderated by Chris Alexander, executive director of the NAACP’s New York State Conference of Branches, will explore the legal, logistical, and advocacy efforts needed to implement DDDA and feature Clyanna Lightbourn, campaign director for Democracy During Detention Campaign; Jarret Berg, counsel for the group VoteEarlyNY; Ashley Torres, County of Ulster Board of Elections commissioner and Assembly MemberLatrice Walker.

• The final afternoon panel “Voter Outreach & Registration – Reaching Underrepresented Communities,” moderated by Murad Awawdeh, president & CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, highlights that increasing voter participation requires targeted outreach and proactive registration efforts, especially for communities historically marginalized in the electoral process. Also featured will be John Park, executive director of MinKwon Center for Community Action/APA Voice; Crystal Walthall, executive director of Faith in New York and Gabby Seay, senior advisor for Battleground New York Action. This panel will focus on strategies for engaging young voters, communities of color, immigrant populations, and justice-impacted individuals, ensuring all New Yorkers have the tools to vote.

For more forum information, visit the events section on City & State’s home page. Tickets are still available. Also, don’t forget to tune in at 10:30 a.m. today for AARP and City & State’s virtual Rx Affordability Legislative Forum: A Dose of Reality on Pay for Delay Agreements. Assembly Member Emily Gallagher and state Sen. Nathalia Fernandez are both on our speaking lineup! RSVP now.