President's Message

Judie Gorenstein, judieL728@aol.com

CALLING ALL MEMBERS

I do know that summer is a time for vacations and relaxation and I do hope that everyone has found some time to have fun and relax. I do also know that the League of Women Voters’ goal of empowering voters and defending our democracy is more important than ever.  I am therefore asking that each of our members do what they can to help us achieve our goal.

• Be informed yourself. Know what your league and LWVNYS is doing so you can share with others.  
• SIgn up for the League's texting service and receive timely updates on voting procedures. Text VoteNY to 474747.
• Let your league know if you have time to volunteer either for one time or ongoing. There is so much to do especially during election season.  
• Let LWVNYS know if you can volunteer at the NY State Fair in Syracuse this month.
• Let your league know of any special skills talents or interests you may have. Are you social media savvy? Are you a creative? 
• Let your league know of affiliations you have with other organizations, communities or media.
• And of course, always ask your friends and acquaintances to join .

NY State Fair - WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The state League will have a booth at the NYS Fair in Syracuse again this year! We are really excited to have a presence there and provide information to all voters in NYS. BUT we will need lots of volunteers to help staff the table. We will provide the admission ticket and parking ticket and only ask you to staff the table part of the day so you’ll have the rest of the day to explore the Fair. Think about helping and we’ll be sending out the exact schedule soon – but for now, the Fair is held in Syracuse from August 24 to September 5 and we have to staff the table from 10:00am to 9:00pm (Fri-Sun til 10:00 pm). Maybe you’d like to spend a day or two at the Fair? 

SIGN UP BY CLICKING HERE

https://forms.gle/auBgUmYi8xZzoeon6

Voter Services

Nancy Rosenthal, VP for Voter Services, nancyrosenthal9@gmail.com

NY State has one more primary:

August 23 Primary: candidates in races for US Congressional seats and NYS Senate seats

Up to date and accurate information on the primaries and deadlines for the primaries, and for the general election, can always be found on the state League website at: https://lwvny.org/voting/.

BREAKING NEWS:

Yesterday the State Board of Elections filed a motion to the NYS Supreme Court asking for a blackout period for party enrollment to be instated, which would create a deadline by which someone must change their party affiliation for the August primary. Judge McAllister issued an order last night which makes the deadline to register with a party or to change party affiliation August 11th. Applications must be received by a board of elections on this date. Any application received on or after August 12th will not be effective immediately, but will become effective seven days after the August primary (August 30, 2022). 

Hotlines

If voters have issues at the polls, two hotlines are available if they encounter any problems when trying to vote. They can call these hotlines for legal assistance and guidance to make their vote count.

One hotline is operated by the NYS Attorney General’s office:

Call - (866) 390-2992

Early Voting Days: 9:00am - 6:00pm

Election Day: 6:00am - 9:00pm

FAQs: https://ag.ny.gov/election-protection

Complaint Form: https://ag.ny.gov/election-hotline

The other hotline is from the NY Democratic Lawyers’ Committee:

Main line: 1-888-369-8683 (1-888-3NY-VOTE)

Spanish Line: 1-888-369-8682 (1-888-3NY-VOTA)

Helpline Hours

Mon - Fri: 9 am - 8 pm

Sat - Sun: 10 am - 7 pm

Texting Service (text VoteNY to 474747)

Encourage members and voters to sign up for the League’s texting service (text VoteNY to 474747) to get timely reminders on voting. 

Vote 411

VOTE411.org is live for the August primary election! VOTE411.org provides election information and what will be on the ballot Election Day.  Using the QR Code on postings provides many with greater access to VOTE411.org. If candidates in your area have not yet responded on Vote 411, please nudge them to do it – contact their campaign and tell them it’s important for all voters to know their positions on issues. Let’s all get the word out on this valuable election tool, VOTE411.org.

Click here to download and print a flyer on Vote 411. Share the flyer with friends, co-workers and family members - post it in grocery stores, libraries or convenience stores!

Important Upcoming Election Dates to Remember:

August 23 - Primary Election

August 13-21 - Early Voting

August 22 - last day to apply in person at BOE for Primary Election Absentee Ballot

August 23 - last day to postmark Primary Election Absentee Ballot or submit at BOE or polling location

Issues and Advocacy

Sally Robinson, VP for Issues and Advocacy, Sally.s.robinson@gmail.com

Erica Smitka, Deputy Director, Erica@lwvny.org

Ethics Reform

As of July 8th, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) ceased to exist. The Legislature agreed to replace JCOPE with a new state ethics and lobbying oversight committee- the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (CELG).

Under state law, New York’s statewide officials and legislative leaders appoint the members to the new Commission on Ethics on Lobbying in Government, but instead of elected officials making direct appointments to the Commission, as has historically been the case, the new law created the Independent Review Committee (“IRC”) comprised of the Deans of the State’s 15 law schools to determine whether or not nominees should be confirmed for appointment. The League along with other good government groups sent the statewide and legislative officials a letter in June asking that they appoint independent members to the new ethics commission. You can read the letter here. Our groups separately encouraged law school deans to adhere to procedures that would increase the transparency and independence of the vetting process for ethics commissioners. 

As of August 1st, most nominations have been submitted to the IRC and we are waiting on one final appointment from the Governor. Public comment on candidates will be welcomed by the IRC by emailing info@irc.ny.gov. 

Medical Aid in Dying Virtual Meeting

It’s time to rally support for Medical Aid in Dying! We have called for the passage of this legislation since 2018 and will be working on this issue again this legislative session. An online planning meeting led by Compassion and Choices is being held on Wednesday, August 10, from 11 a.m.-12 noon. The planning will be for activities in the 4-County capital area to build legislative support for Medical Aid in Dying. If this is legislation that you believe is important and willing to work on, please consider attending. Reach out to Erica at erica@lwvny.org or Barb Thomas at bkoeppicust@gmail.com for additional information and the Zoom link.