Meeting Transcript

Good morning, and welcome to today's New York City Council vote for the Committee on Criminal Justice. Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, we please ask you to silence all electronic devices moving forward. No one is to approach the front day as chair. You may begin. Good morning. I'm Councilmember Sylvina Brooks Powers, Chair of the Committee on Criminal Justice. I'm joined by committee members. Salam Felice Brewer, Narcis, Morana. Today, the committee will vote on proposed introduction number 786A, sponsored by myself, and 797A, sponsored by public advocate Williams. My bill proposed introduction number 786A would establish procedures to help eligible individuals in Department of Correction custody successfully cast their early mail and absentee ballots. Under this legislation, the department would be required to review completed ballot affirmation envelopes for certain correctible errors before transmitting ballots to the board of elections. If a defect is identified, the department would provide the individual with an opportunity and the means to correct it before the ballot is submitted. Proposed introduction number 797A, sponsored by public advocate Williams would strengthen reporting requirements regarding voter registration and voting in city jails. The legislation would require the Department of Correction to report annually on the number of voter registration forms collected, the number of absentee ballots distributed by facility, and the number of events held to promote voter registration and voting. Registration data would also be disaggregated by facility and by demographic characteristics, including race, age, gender, disability status, and veteran status. With the general election less than two weeks away, today's vote is a timely reminder that the right to vote must be protected for every eligible New Yorker, including those in our city's jails. While the laws of this state currently prevent incarcerated people serving time for a felony conviction from voting, people in city jails that are held pretrial or are serving misdemeanor sentences are in fact eligible to vote. The presumption of innocence lies at the foundation of our criminal legal system. Everyone is presumed innocent until their guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt. That means every eligible person in our jails must have the meaningful, real and unabridged opportunity to vote, regardless of what crime they have been charged of committing. Together, intro 786A and 797A address important gaps and access to the ballot and in the public information available about voting in city jails. Although many individuals in Department of Correction custody remain eligible to vote, participation has been extremely low. During the June 2024 primary election, for example, 364 individuals held on Rikers Island requested absentee or early mail ballots, but only 155 ballots were delivered, and just 72 were returned and counted. These figures underscore the challenges eligible voters can face at multiple stages of the voting process. From requesting and receiving a ballot to correct an errors and ensuring that a completed ballot is counted. By establishing procedures to identify and correct ballot envelope defects and require more comprehensive reporting on voter registration and voting activities. Ensuring that eligible New Yorkers can exercise their right to vote regardless of their circumstances, I believe, is an important part of promoting meaningful civic participation and strengthening our democratic process. I would like to thank my policy and budget director, Owen Brady, my chief of staff, Renee Taylor, committee counsel Jahari Frazier, policy analyst Chad Benjamin, the public advocate, and the vote in New York City Jails Coalition for their work on these important pieces of legislation. With that, I now ask the clerk to call the role. I vote aye. Felice. Both items have been approved by the committee.