Historic low voter turnout gets attention of Assembly
ALBANY _ An Assembly hearing on Thursday will solicit ideas to improve New York’s historically low voter turnout.
The United States Election project, a federal agency, studied voter turnout nationwide in 2014. It found New York had the worst voter turnout ever in New York and was 46th worst among the states.
The hearing will be in Assembly Hearing Room 1923 at 250 Broadway in Manhattan and it will be webcast. It will be run by Assmb. Michael Cusick (D-Staten Island), the Assembly Elections Law Committee chairman; and Assmb. David Buchwald (D-White Plains).
Topics will include making voting accessible to more voters and making polls more resilient in emergencies.
The testimony will be used to draft legislation to address low turnout, which is expected an issue before the Legislature in the session beginning in January.
Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.
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