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For Release: Immediate
October 2, 2012
Contact: Mark Mahoney
Associate Director, Media Services
Mmahoney@nysba.org
518-487-5532
NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT CREATES SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO
ADDRESS VOTER PARTICIPATION
New York State Bar Association President Seymour W. James, Jr. has
formed a special committee to recommend possible changes in state law
that could foster greater voter participation.
"Voting is a fundamental right. Yet here in New York State, we
continue to have one of the lowest rates of voter participation in the
nation," said James (The Legal Aid Society in New York City). "We must
find ways to remove barriers to registration and voting while
maintaining the integrity of the process. Measures that increase
participation could go a long way toward enhancing civic engagement and
our democracy."
The Special Committee on Voter Participation is chaired by former
Assistant U.S. Attorney General and state Senator John R. Dunne of
Albany (Whiteman Osterman & Hanna) and Daniel F. Kolb of New York
City (Davis Polk & Wardwell).
The rate of voter participation in New York is frequently ranked
among the lowest in the nation. Only 36.3 percent of New Yorkers
eligible to vote in the 2000 election cast ballots, according to an
analysis by the United States Elections Project at George Mason
University.
The State Bar Association special committee will examine possible
changes in the way New York registers voters and conducts elections,
such as: automatic voter registration and modernization of the
registration process; extended cut-off dates for advance registration;
increased penalties for voter intimidation and deceptive election
practices; early voting (allowing voting in designated poll locations
prior to Election Day); and no-fault absentee balloting. The committee
has two subcommittees, one focusing on the registration process, the
other on the voting process.
In its report, the special committee may recommend changes that could
enhance civic participation in New York State. It expects to submit its
report to the State Bar's Executive Committee and House of Delegates for
approval in January 2013.
The New York State Bar Association, with 77,000 members, is the
largest voluntary state bar association in the country. It was founded
in 1876.
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