Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to grant felons on parole in New York the right to vote – and he won’t take “no” for an answer, he announced Wednesday at the annual National Action Network convention. The move was not supported by the State Legislature, according to the Hill, but Cuomo said he will sign an executive order.
Doing so would restore voting rights for more than 35,000 people, the New York Times reported. According to Mother Jones, 48 percent of people affected by New York’s disenfranchisement laws are African-Americans.
“In this state, when you’re released from prison and you’re on parole, you still don’t have the right to vote,” Cuomo said in his speech. “Now how can that be? You did your time. You paid your debt. You’re released, but you still don’t have the right to vote.”
This announcement comes one day after a new election poll showed a decline in Cuomo’s lead over former Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon, who is Cuomo’s main opponent in New York’s Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
In a Democratic-leaning state with strict voting laws, criminal justice reform is a significant aspect of Nixon’s campaign – and she has criticized Cuomo for his record on it. Cuomo’s aides said the timing of the announcement was irrelevant, the New York Times reported.
Voting in New York isn’t exactly easy. Though it’s a Democratic state, it’s also home to some pretty restrictive voting laws that don’t allow early voting or Election Day registration. At least 18 other states and Washington D.C. already allow felons on parole to vote, the New York Times reported, and Democratic lawmakers in other states are looking at making the same changes. Voting rights activists have been waiting quite a while for this day to come in New York.