The right to vote is one of our most fundamental civil rights. The Office of the New York State Attorney General works to ensure that all voters can exercise their franchise in free, fair and impartial elections. Learn more about how New York laws defend your voting rights, when you can vote, and what to do if you experience a problem at the polls.
In 1965, the Voting Rights Act (VRA) became law – along with the Civil Rights Act – and significantly expanded the voting rights of Black citizens in the United States. It forbid rules denying voting access to persons based on race or color and required that jurisdictions with a history of discriminatory voting rights get prior approval from the federal government before making changes to their election law, known as preclearance.
But after the Supreme Court struck down Section 5 of the VRA in 2013, states began enacting laws that make it harder to vote, with a disproportionate impact on minority and young voters and other Democratic-leaning groups. According to the Brennan Center, since Shelby, more than a hundred new restrictions have been introduced, including voter ID laws, early and mail-in ballot restrictions, and cuts to polling hours.
The Office of the New York State Attorney General has been fighting back against these restrictions and advocating for a stronger VRA. We’re pushing for a full restoration of Section 5, requiring states to accept a wide range of forms of identification at the polls, expanding access to online ballot tracking, establishing mandatory no-excuse mail voting, instituting same-day registration, allowing people with disabilities to receive assistance while voting and restoring voting rights for formerly incarcerated individuals.