WRITINGS AND MEDIA APPEARANCES

 

Jarret Berg, Esq. on Gotham Talks

NLC 2016 Fellow Jarret Berg describes how the fundamental right to vote is the most powerful tool of peaceful dissent that Americans have.

Fifteen states permit same-day voter registration, and 37 states provide early voting opportunities. New York offers neither. According to Jarret, the path forward on voter access is clear. 

ARTICLES

Voting Rights Restoration A Good Step But New York Must End Blanket Disenfranchisement

Mar. 15, 2021 - Gotham Gazette

Voting rights and social justice advocates are counting on legislative supermajorities in Albany to begin tackling a long ignored civil rights imperative, reform of New York’s racist Civil War-era blanket voter disenfranchisement law, which strips citizens of their right to vote while in prison or on parole for a felony conviction, regardless of the nature or circumstances of the offense.

New Yorkers: Make Your Voting Plan (with DemocracyNYC General Counsel Laura Wood).

Oct. 15, 2020 - AMNY

Amid the ongoing uncertainty and hardship wrought by the raging COVID-19 pandemic, one bright spot where relief has kept pace with the public health emergency in New York is the progress made reducing longstanding barriers to voter access, by modernizing our elections and improving voter convenience. Although there are evolving headwinds to political participation, New York is providing voters safe and convenient options to make their voices heard at the ballot box. 

Testimony of VoteEarlyNY at Joint NYS Legislative Hearing

Aug. 11, 2020 - Elections in a Pandemic: A Review of the 2020 Primaries

In 2019 and 2020, VoteEarlyNY mapped and tracked early voting and mail ballot implementation developments statewide while pushing counties to adopt the highest standard of pro-voter policies in the many areas where the law defers to local discretion and decision-making. By the end of the June 2020, over 115,000 users had visited our website to learn about early voting options and draw upon a free library of digital and printable public education materials developed in coordination with our LetNYVote Coalition partners that anyone may use to help raise awareness about this historic expansion of our access to the ballot.

Testimony of VoteEarlyNY Presented to the Westchester Board of Legislators

July 13, 2020

This is why it was so critical (and remains an urgent priority) for policymakers to ensure voter access resiliency, as the emergency persisted through Spring and Summer 2020 and as the public-health restrictions on our liberty that can suppress voting in person gradually expanded.

Missed Your Chance to Vote by Mail? Vote Early in N.Y. through Sunday

June 19, 2020 - Medium

This past Tuesday was the deadline for New York Primary voters to request a mail ballot from the Board of Elections if they wished to vote from home in this month’s primary elections.

OP-EDS

Op-Ed: Barriers reduced for NYC primary voters amid COVID-19 pandemic

May 21, 2020 - amNY

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown into high relief many inequities in our society. But one bright spot is the progress New York has made in recent months reducing barriers for voter participation in our elections. 

Guaranteeing the right to vote in a COVID-infected New York

May 06, 2020 - Daily News

Gov. Cuomo recently expanded access to absentee balloting through a series of orders clarifying that the risk of spreading COVID-19 pandemic “illness” permits any June voter to vote by mail.

Next Steps to Ensure Voter Access Amid Coronavirus

April 09, 2020 - Gotham Gazette

As the American people hunker down under a patchwork of evolving emergency orders and health directives, our communities are grappling with extraordinary circumstances disrupting and reorienting our lives and the economy.

“You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat”: Somali Piracy and the Erosion of Customary Piracy Suppression

November 27, 2018

In the age of international peace and security, and multinational interdependence, States must work together in order to suppress a reinvigorated enemy of all mankind.

Simplify outdated laws to improve voter accessibility

July 23, 2018

As the state Legislature adjourns for a pivotal election season, New York's voting laws remain a national disgrace, undermining civil rights, perpetuating low voter turnout, and eroding an already damaged public trust.

PODCASTS & APPEARANCES

Early Voting in New York and New Jersey and Voting Rights for All

Oct. 27, 2020 - Law of the Land with Gloria Browne-Marshall (starts @ 0:58).

Election 2020 NY Voting Rights Webinar

Oct. 5, 2020 - Anti-Defamation League