Voting hands and ballot box

How To Change The Conversation In Albany With A Vote

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This blog post was written by Jennifer Wilson from the League of Women Voters New York State for our 2018 PowHer The Vote campaign.

Women make up more than half of the population, but our concerns are often thought of as special interests by elected officials. Child care, equal pay, and reproductive health care are not often talking points of candidates running for higher office; even though studies show women vote in greater numbers than men.

Although women have a higher turnout rate than men, we are still not reaching our full potential of political engagement. Only 60% of women eligible to vote are registered to vote in New York State and only 45% of those registered actually turn out to vote. New York State makes it difficult to register to vote with tight registration deadlines and the inability to register online without a NYS ID. Unlike other 37 other states that allow for early voting, New York State voters can only cast their ballots on a single day. These barriers to voting are particularly burdensome to women who often take on the majority of the responsibilities related to their children and homes and have little time to get out and vote.

This year, voters will be electing legislators for every state office in New York. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller, Attorney General, US Senator, Congressional Representative, State Senate, and State Assembly are all up for election. Many New Yorkers will also be voting on local county, town, and/or village officials as well.

If all New York women got registered and cast their ballot on Election Day, we would have the power to determine every one of these elections. Women have the ability to change the conversations in Albany; voting is the first step to participating in our democratic government. When you cast your ballot on Election Day you are making the choice to support child care, equal pay, and reproductive choice in New York State.

It’s not too late to register!

The deadline to register in person or by mail is Friday, October 12th. You can find the voter registration form here or register online with a valid NYS ID or license here.

Once you’re registered, learn about where all of the candidates stand on issues related to women at the League of Women Voters’ Electronic Ballot website at www.VotingNewYork.org. We’ll be live for the general election on October 5th!