have safeguards for ballot access, electoral education, early voting, and voter protections for formerly incarcerated New Yorkers.
The legislative package includes the NYS Formerly Incarcerated Voter Protection Act , which mandates local jails provide “electoral education” for those released from local jails statewide. Here in New York City, the law includes Rikers Island facilities, where more than half the population held is Black. On Wednesday, Sept. 20, Hochul signed the Protection Act at a ceremony at New York Law School in Manhattan.
In his routine tours of state prisons, Gibbs said that he has found many imprisoned men are interested in the history of voting rights, while women are more politically inclined toward current issues. “I get a sense that a lot of people want to be involved,” said Gibbs. “But there’s always confusion as to whether you can vote or not.”
“But that mentality is something that we have to continue to work on in a number of ways. Not just via this bill, but through civic education…as much as I love my job as legislator, and I think we should pass as many bills as we can, sometimes we can’t legislate everything and [have to] just get to the basics [by doing our] civic duties and make sure that people are aware of their rights.”
The detainee will also be “offered” a voter registration application and assistance with filling out the form upon release. Smitka added that the bill is critical for combating misinformation, given that groups most frequently detained during pre-trial also happen to be some of the most disenfranchised.