Voting and Politics

Voting, Politics, and Government

According to The Sentencing Proect, an estimated 4.6 million Americans are currently unable to vote as a result of laws that disenfranchise persons with a felony conviction. These laws vary widely by state, but encompass general categories of felons in prison or jail, on probation or parole, and in 12 states, persons who have completed their sentence but are still subject to disenfranchisement.


Military veterans who have subsequently been convicted of a felony constitute a significant portion of the disenfranchised population. This briefing paper analyzes the available data and finds that an estimated 585,355 veterans are unable to vote as a result of a felony conviction. Approximately one of every eight disenfranchised persons is a veteran. 

Voting and Politics in New York


The Government of the State of New York, headquartered at the New York State Capitol in Albany, encompasses the administrative structure of the U.S. state of New York. Just like the US federal government, it is composed of three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. 

• The head of the executive is the governor.

• The Legislature consists of the Senate and the Assembly.

• The Unified Court System consists of the Court of Appeals and lower courts. The state is also divided into counties, cities, towns, and villages, which are all municipal corporations.

Registering to Vote: To register to vote or if you are unsure if you are already registered to vote, you can check your registration status here. To qualify for voter registration in New York State, you must:

• be a United States Citizen;

• be 18 years old (you may pre-register at 16 or 17 but cannot vote until you are 18);

• be a resident of this state and the county, city or village for at least 30 days before the election;

• not be in prison for a felony conviction;

• learn more about felon registration rights

• not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court;

• not claim the right to vote elsewhere

NYC Council Members (Dept of Veteran Services)

  • Registering to Vote / New York City

    Registering to Vote / New York City


    To register to vote or if you are unsure if you are already registered to vote, you can check your registration status here. To qualify for voter registration in New York State, you must:

    • be a United States Citizen;

    • be 18 years old (you may pre-register at 16 or 17 but cannot vote until you are 18);

    • be a resident of this state and the county, city or village for at least 30 days before the election;

    • not be in prison for a felony conviction;

    • learn more about felon registration rights

    • not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court;

    • not claim the right to vote elsewhere


    Executive Office

    32-42 Broadway, 7 Fl

    New York, NY 10004

    Tel: 1-212-487-5400


    Queens

    118-35 Queens Boulevard, 11 Fl

    Forest Hills, NY 11375

    Tel: 1-718-730-6730


    Bronx

    1780 Grand Concourse, 5 Fl

    Bronx, NY 10457

    Tel: 1-718-299-9017


    Manhattan

    200 Varick Street, 10 Fl

    New York, NY 10014

    Tel: 1-212-886-2100


    Brooklyn

    345 Adams Street, 4 Fl

    Brooklyn, NY 11201

    Tel: 1-718-797-8800


    Staten Island

    1 Edgewater Plaza, 4 Fl

    Staten Island, NY 10305

    Tel: 1-718-876-0079


    New York Civil Liberties Union

    The right of every person to vote is fundamental to American society and democracy. Voting is the right we exercise to protect all others. It must be protected, expanded, and voters must be informed. The NYCLU has been a leader in the fight to actualize and protect every citizen's ability to exercise this basic constitutional right in New York State.

    125 Broad St, 19th floor

    New York, NY

    Phone: (212) 607-3300


  • NYS Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs / New York

    NYS Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs

    If a veteran is not satisfied with the standard of care you feel you have earned, it is imperative that you reach out to local politicians as well as to state officials as well. New York City works separately from the Veterans Affairs and from New York State and the Federal Government, and agencies in one jurisdiction are apprehensive of interfering in the affairs of another jurisdictional agency.

     

    • Kimberly Jean-Pierre (Chair)

    • Joe Angelino

    • Sam Berger

    • Chris Burdick

    • Marianne Buttenschon

    • Brian Cunningham

    • Chris Eachus

    • Stephen Hawley

    • Pamela J. Hunter

    • Billy Jones

    • Brian Manktelow

    • David G. McDonough

    • Angelo J. Morinello

    • Stacey Pheffer Amato

    • Jenifer Rajkumar

    • Amanda Septimo

    • Robert Smullen

    • Steve Stern

     

    Additional NYS Assembly Members

    State Senator Liz Krueger

    First elected to the New York State Senate in a Special Election in February 2002, Liz Krueger is currently the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee. She is also a member of five other committees: Elections; Higher Education; Housing, Construction and Community Development; Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities; and Rules.

    211 E. 43rd Street, Suite 1201

    New York, NY 10017

    Constituent Liaison / Dana Schmerzler (she/her)

    Phone: 212-490-9535 Fax: 212-499-2558

    Email: Email: schmerzl@nysenate.gov


  • The Committee on Veterans / NYC

    The Committee on Veterans has jurisdiction over matters relating to New York City’s Department of Veterans’ Services and other veteran related issues. The following Council Members serve on this committee:


    Robert F. Holden (Chair) – District  30 / Maspeth 

    District Office

    58-38 69th Street

    Maspeth, NY 11378

    (718) 366-3900

    Legislative Office

    250 Broadway, Suite 1781

    New York, NY 10007

    (212) 788-7381

     

    Vickie Paladino - District 19 / Queens

    District Office

    20-15 Francis Lewis Blvd

    Whitestone, NY 11357

    Phone: 718-619-8611

    Legislative Office

    250 Broadway, Suite 1551

    New York, NY 10007

    Phone: 212-788-7250

    Fax: 212-788-1860

     

    Sandy Nurse – District 37 / Brooklyn 

    District Office

    56 Pennsylvania Ave

    Brooklyn, NY 11207

    Phone: 718-642-8664

    Fax: 718-889-8017

    Legislative Office

    250 Broadway, Suite 1824

    New York, NY 10007

    Phone: 212-788-7284

    Fax: 212-227-5636

     

    Kristy Marmorato – District 13 / Bronx 

    District Office

    3040 E Tremont Avenue, Suite 107

    Bronx, NY 10461

    Phone: 718-931-1721

    Fax: 718-931-1605

    Legislative Office

    250 Broadway, Suite 1554

    New York, NY 10007

    Phone: 212-788-7375

    Fax: 212-442-2724 

     

    Joann Ariola – District 32 / Brooklyn 

    District Office

    Ozone Park Office:

    93-06 101st Avenue

    Ozone Park, NY 11416

    Phone: 718-738-1083

    Fax: 718-738-1918

    Rockaway District Office:

    114-12 Beach Channel Drive, Ste 1

    Rockaway Park, NY 11694

    Phone: 718-318-6411

    Legislative Office

    250 Broadway Suite 1555

    New York, NY 10007

    Phone: 212-788-7069

     

    Additional NYC Council Members:

    Each of these following NYC Council Members have been provided copies of the resource guide in its printed form. Additionally, various members also host a variety of programs.


    Councilmember Eric Bottner - District 3 / Chelsea

    District Office

    224 West 30th St, Suite 1206

    New York, NY 10001

    Phone: 212-564-7757

    Fax: 212-564-7347

    Legislative Office

    250 Broadway, Suite 1785

    New York, NY 10007

    Phone: 212-788-6979 

     

    Councilmember Julie Won – District 26 / Queens / Borden Ave.

    District Office

    37-04 Queens Boulevard, Suite 205

    Long Island City, NY 11101

    Phone: 718-383-9566

    Fax: 718-383-9076

    Legislative Office

    250 Broadway, Suite 1749

    New York, NY 10007


     

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