Letters-to-the-Editor & Commentary

Don’t Forget To Turn Over Your Ballot

Published 2 years ago2y ago • Bookmarks: 15

October 15, 2022

On election day voters will be asked to approve a $4.2 billion bond act to fund environmental protection, natural restoration, resiliency and clean energy projects. This is an important ballot proposition but most voters won’t bother to vote for or against the proposal because the proposition is on the back of the ballot. On one side of the ballot are the candidates running for office. On the other side of the ballot page there are referendum questions.

I think that the NYS Board of Elections and the State Legislature should amend the election law so that ballot propositions and the candidates running for office are on the same side of the ballot sheet. When most people vote their major reasonl is to vote for candidates running for important positions. Ballot propositions, while important, are secondary considerations. Because of the way the ballot looks – many voters forget to turn over their ballot. A $4.2 billion bond act is an important matter requiring voter approval, but a large number of voters won’t bother to say yes or no because they will forget to turn the ballot over.

Last year NYS voters rejected some progressive ballot proposals that would have allowed same-day voter registration and another proposal that would have allowed anyone to request an absentee ballot. New York State has some of the most restrictive voting laws in the country. There are at least 20 other states that make it easier for voters to vote. I think a major reason why the propositions were rejected is because many voters did not flip the ballot and forgot to vote for or against the proposition. New York State should make it easier to get people to remember to vote on referendum questions.

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