New America Media did a Question & Answer with Senator Gianaris in advance of his press conference announcing the Voter Empowerment Act of New York.
NAM: What is your national overview of the increasingly heated debate over voter suppression and voting rights at this point in America’s history?
Gianaris: There’s a movement around the country being pushed by right wing groups to make voting more difficult. In Florida, for example, they are purging voters off the rolls – disproportionately people of color – and, in other states, they are erecting barriers to voting in the form of ID requirements. The point we’re trying to make is that these actions are completely in the wrong direction. Our government should function to make participation easier, not more difficult. And it’s very dangerous when a government itself is trying to suppress voting. The legislation we’re advocating would move us in the right direction.
Read the full article here [2].
