The Campaign Finance Board (CFB) and its Voter Assistance Advisory Committee (VAAC) announce the release of the 2013-2014 Voter Assistance Annual Report.
“The Campaign Finance Board provided a broad range of tools for voters that helped countless New Yorkers connect their choices with the issues that impact them and their neighbors,” said Art Chang, VAAC Chair. “The combined efforts of our staff and volunteer partners were extraordinary, but we cannot rest. Many New Yorkers found ways to engage more meaningfully in the democratic process, but overall voter turnout is still disappointingly low. We will continue working to build a more inclusive, more engaged, more democratic New York City.”
The Report outlines the work done by the CFB and VAAC in 2013 to educate and energize New York City voters through the NYC Votes campaign. Those efforts include the following:
- Voter registration drives with partner organizations, resulting in 15,000 newly registered voters
- Print, video, and online Voter Guides with nonpartisan voting information
- Concentrated efforts to engage young New Yorkers to start them on the road to a lifetime of voting
NYC Votes found significant challenges to voting in the city:
- Consistently low voter turnout, with only 25.4% of those eligible voting in the General Election for Mayor
- Underrepresented populations facing barriers when going to the polls
- Campaign messages overwhelming nonpartisan voter information
- Confusion about using two different sets of voting machines
The report, mandated by the City Charter, includes key legislative recommendations that can improve the voter experience and hopefully increase voter participation.
The VAAC welcomes any comments on its annual voter assistance report. A public hearing will be held at 5:30pm on Tuesday, May 13 at the Campaign Finance Board, 100 Church Street, 12th Floor.
NYC Votes is the nonpartisan voter engagement campaign of the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) and its Voter Assistance Advisory Committee (VAAC). In addition to promoting voter registration, participation, and civic engagement in New York City through its many programs and partnerships, NYC Votes sponsors the city’s official Debate Program and produces the citywide Voter Guide.