NYDLC Steering Committee with Attorney General Eric Schneiderman At Our 2011 Spring Fundraiser
NYDLC's Annual Cocktail Reception - March 7thThe NYDLC Steering Committee invites you to join us and Democratic Elected Officials for our annual cocktail reception on March 7th, from 7pm to 9pm. This event provides the 2012 funding that NYDLC needs in order to recruit, train, and deploy thousands of volunteers to protect the vote for Democratic candidates in NYS and critical swing states.
Register for the event at:https://secure.actblue.com/page/nydlcevent
Upcoming NYDLC EventsFEBRUARY
Minority Voting Rights Committee Meeting
Monday, February 6th, 7:00pm
The Law Firm of Dewey and LeBoeuf, 1301 6th Ave. (52nd St.), NY, NY
RSVP to Committee Chair Mark Favors at mark.favors@gmail.com
NYDLC Legislative Committee Meeting
Tuesday, February 7th, 7:00pm
The Law Firm of Dewey and LeBoeuf, 1301 6th Ave. (52nd St.), NY, NY
The legislative Committee is open to all NYDLC members and potential members. At this meeting we will discuss our legislative initiatives for 2012 and how individuals can be involved.
RSVP to Committee Chair Len Kohen at len.kohen@nydlc.org
NYDLC Steering Committee Meeting
Thursday, February 23rd, 7:00pm to 8:00pm
The Law Firm of Dewey and LeBoeuf, 1301 6th Ave.
All NYDLC members are welcome to attend this meeting to hear updates from our committee chairs, discuss upcoming projects, and set the organization’s agenda.
RSVP to rsvp@nydlc.org
Visit www.nydlc.org for more information and join our Facebook group (New York Democratic Lawyers Council)
Pay Your 2012 Membership Dues - $25Congratulation to all of you on a tremendously successful year 2011.
In order to continue our work and support the President, Federal, and State candidates in 2012, we are counting on you to voluntarily contribute $25 annual membership dues.
Contribute at: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/nydlcdues
In 2012 NYDLC is committed to fighting for the rights of voters in New York State and across the Country. We will also be mobilizing to support President Obama, Senator Gillibrand, and our local Congressional and State Senate candidates who will be in competitive races. We need your help to accomplish this in the following ways:
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Election Law CLE (4 credits available)Election Law in New York State in the 21st Century
This 4 Credit CLE Course is open to all New York State attorneys.
Wednesday, October 12th, 9am to 12:45pm
McCarthy Fingar LLP - 11 Martine Avenue, 12th Floor White Plains, NY 1060
Wednesday, October 19th, 9am to 12:45pm
The Law Firm of Dewey & LeBoeuf, 1301 Avenue of the Americas, (52nd St.), New York, NY
Saturday, October 22nd, 9am to 12:45pm
Nassau County - Details TBD.
Please click below for registration details and more information about this program.
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Amicus Brief Filed to Help End Prison GerrymanderingThe issue of how to count prisoners in the census is critical to protecting the concept of one person one vote. Senator Martin Malave Dilan has submitted an amicus brief (“friend of court”) to the State Supreme Court in Albany supporting the constitutionality of the 2010 law requiring prisoners to be counted at their prior “homes of record” for state legislative redistricting. The brief was filed by Len Kohen and Jeff Wice who were assisted by Paul Evans and Michael McKenna all NYDLC members working in an individual capacity.
You can view the full amicus brief here.
Special Election for Suffolk's 6th Legislative District Tuesday, March 29Suffolk County has a Special Election for its Legislature's 6th District on 3/29. The 6th covers a significant part of Brookhaven Township, including the communities of Rocky Point, Mt. Sinai, Miller Place, Sound Beach and parts of Shoreham, Ridge, Middle Island, Coram and Port Jeff Station. More than 50,000 voters will be represented by the legislator elected. Today, the County Exec, Steve Levy, announced he will not seek re-election. The Suffolk Legislature and its electeds grow in importance. If you can help poll monitor, please sign up and call me.
Barbara Sullivan-Parry
LI Chapter Co-Chair
516-455-1812
LATFOR to Hold Public Hearings on Redistricting - UPDATED DATESThe New York State Legislative Task Force On Demographic Research & Reapportionment is tasked with reconfiguring legislative district lines to reflect the results of the 2010 census. The committee will be holding hearings to gather public input regarding congressional and state legislative districts. To see the schedule of hearings near you, please click below. ... Full Story
Electoral Fairness Held PrisonerBy Ekow N. Yankah and Leonard Kohen
Published: Tuesday, May 17, 2011, Albany Times Union
Imagine that you have been moved 300 miles from home, separated from anything familiar, isolated from your home and community. You are obligated to stay for a number of years. You no longer vote but, more peculiarly, your representation in government has been, in a sense, given to someone else; political officials who in many cases have interests directly opposed to yours.
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NYS Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman Speaks to NYDLC MembersOn April 13th, NYDLC held a very well attended event at the law firm of Dewey & LeBoeuf, with special guest NYS Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman. The AG, who has long been a supporter of NYDLC, spoke of his gratitude for all of NYDLC's hard work, energy, and activism. He stressed the importance of our efforts on behalf of voter rights and Democratic candidates, especially looking forward to 2012. As an organization, we are proud to be represented by an Attorney General who values fair elections, good government, and ethics.
To see pictures from the event, visit NYDLC's Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2318032455
Volunteer to Poll Watch - Suffolk County, March, 29thOn March 29th, there will be a special election for the 6th Legislative District (L.D.) of Suffolk County, which is located in the northeast portion of the Town of Brookhaven. It consists of fifty-three (53) election districts (E.D.s) with approximately 50,010 registered voters.
NYDLC will be running a poll watching operation, and is looking for any volunteers who are interested in helping out.
This District serves the Hamlets of Mount Sinai, Miller Place, Sound Beach, Rocky Point, and parts of Shoreham, Ridge, Middle Island, Coram, and Port Jefferson Station.
All Suffolk County members are eligible to monitor the polling places within the 6th. Those who can serve are asked to sign up by emailing rsvp@nydlc.org. Members who reside in Nassau County, or elsewhere, cannot enter the polls, but can help out in other ways. Mark your calendars: March 29!
Meet Attorney General Eric T. SchneidermanJoin the New York Democratic Lawyers Council and Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman for a cocktail reception to benefit NYDLC's Election Protection and Voting Rights Advocacy efforts.
Wednesday, April13, 2011 at 7pm at The Law Firm of Dewey and LeBoeuf (1301 Avenue of the Americas)
Event Chair $2,500 ∗ Host Committee $1,000 ∗ Co-Hosts $500
Firm Associate $250 ∗ Public Interest $125
Law Student $50 (Limited # of tickets)
Purchase your tickets securely online by clicking the "Make A Donation" button on the top right corner of this page.
Event Chairs (in formation)
John Nonna, Antonia Stolper, Doug Dunham,
Robert Donovan & Sara Rakita, 1199 SEIU UHWE
Host Committee (in formation)
Cindy Warner, Matthew Morningstar, Jeanne Murphy, Henry Berger
David Gikow & Sarah L. Reid, Doron Goldstein, Craig Kaplan
Co-Hosts (in formation)
Frank Streng, Hal Friedman, David Kogelman, Steven Newmark, Ben Kallos, Richard Mark, Betsy Lambert
Please e-mail rsvp@nydlc.org or call (212) 725-8825 to order tickets or join the host committee. Checks can be made out to New York Democratic Lawyers Council, c/o NY State Democratic Party, 461 Park Avenue South, 10th Floor, New York NY 10016.
You may also purchase tickets securely online at: https://www.d4d.org/nydlc_pldg.htm
Hands on Redistricting, How You Can Get Involved- March, 2nd, 7:00pmThe next meeting of the Legislative Affairs Committee will focus on the redistricting process in New York State.
Date: March 2nd
Time: 7:00pm at
Location: Dewey & LeBoeuf (1301 6th Ave.).
The meeting will include a presentation on the redistricting process and a discussion about how NYDLC can be involved in the process. This meeting is open to all interested members. Please RSVP to Committee Chair Len Kohen at len.kohen@nydlc.org.
Thank You Volunteers!On November, 2nd, hundreds of NYDLC members volunteered their time as poll watchers on behalf of Democratic candidates and, most importantly, all voters across New York State. On Election Day, we received many reports of poll watchers solving problems in the field and ensuring that eligible voters were not turned away due to mismanagement or equipment failure. Their efforts also helped to protect voters from intimidation and suppression. In short, the Election was smoother and fairer because of NYDLC poll watchers. A full study of field reports will be compiled by NYDLC and made available in the coming weeks.
NYDLC Presents TestimonyOn September, 29th and October, 4th NYDLC presented testimony to the New York State Senate Committee on Elections and the New York City Council Governmental Operations Committee, respectively. Co-chair Robert Donovan, Executive Director Alex Voetsch, and HAVA Committee co-chair Jonathan Geballe gave this testimony based on the Primary Day Report that was compiled from poll watcher observation reports and crafted by the NYDLC Steering Committee.
Both testimonies focused on our members observations of systemic issues that occurred on Primary Day and provided common sense solutions that can be implemented prior to Election Day to ensure the election runs more smoothly. In our report, NYDLC also discussed long term recommendations to improve election administration in the future.
To read NYDLC's full Primary Day 2010 Report, click here.
Absentee Ballot Application Simplification Passes!On April 14th the NYS Senate passed one of the NYDLC's long-time policy objectives. The bill (A5276-B/S2868B) has already been passed by the Assembly and will now be signed by the Governor. The soon-to-be law “removes the requirement that applicants for an absentee ballot disclose those personal details of their need for it, which invade their privacy and compromise their safety and security”. This is a huge step for voting access in New York State and will allow voters to comfortably vote by absentee ballot without fear of misstating information or risking safety of person and property. Thank you to everyone in the NYDLC and the Assembly and Senate Election Law Committees for their hard work on this legislation.
Citizens United and Shareholder Rights - Support H.R. 4790This week, congress is set to consider the Shareholder Protection Act (H.R. 4790). The language in this bill largely follows model language developed by the Brennan Center for Justice in their January report Corporate Campaign Spending: Giving Shareholders A Voice. If you would like to add your name in support of this bill, please e-mail the report's author, Ciara Torres-Spelliscy.
NYC Selects New Voting MachinesOn January 5th, the commissioners of the City Board of Elections awarded the multimillion dollar contract to provide between 5,000 – 7,000 voting machines to Election Systems Software...... Full Story
Appellate Court Upholds Voters' RightsOn December 16th, the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court held a hearing regarding second home residency challenges in Columbia County. The challenges, which were initiated by the Republican Party attorneys, John Ciampoli and James Walsh, were aimed at concentrating the Democratic votes in New York City and restricting Democratic voters.
The Court ruled that challenges made to residency should have been made prior to the casting of the absentee ballots.... Full Story
Thank You!On November 3rd, hundreds of NYDLC members from across New York volunteered to protect the right to vote. From the special election in New York's 23rd Congressional District to County Legislative contests downstate, you once more gave of your time and talents to ensure that New York's elections remain free and fair. In the coming weeks, we'll work to identify steps that can be taken to improve the electoral process as we head into the crucial 2010 election year. Once more, thank you!
Turning Election Monitoring into Community ActivismIn November, NYDLC Steering Committee Member Mark Favors protected the vote in Canton, Ohio. This May, Mark reached out to engage a group of Canton students, introducing them to the idea of serving their communities.
From May 11th-13th, 2009, students from Hartford Middle School in Canton, Ohio visited New York City and Albany participating the We Are Change! Youth Civic Leadership Academy.... Full Story
More Work Needs To Be Done To Protect Voting RightsAlthough we celebrate the tremendous enthusiasm and participation of voters in last year’s election, millions of others were disenfranchised due to legal and administrative barriers. The New York Times pointedly outlined these issues in this recent March 18 editorial.... Full Story
US Supreme Court decides Voting Rights Act caseThe United States Supreme Court last week decided a case under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The opinion affects minority voting rights in its interpretation of the percentage of minority voters necessary for the drawing of certain voting districts.... Full Story
Appeals Court Affirms Right To Choose Second Home As Voting AddressA New York appeals court has held that New Yorkers who have more than one home have the right to make their country home their voting address, even if it's not their primary residence. At issue were the voting rights of eight politically-active long-time residents of the small upstate town of Bovina, all of whom currently or formerly also lived and worked in New York City. A local political opponent had challenged their Bovina voter registrations based on nothing more than the admitted fact that they were not full-time Bovina residents.... Full Story
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The NYDLC Steering Committee With Former DNC Chair Governor Howard Dean, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Westchester County Democratic Chair Reginald LaFayette, and City Council Member Dan Garodnick
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