New York, NY - January 8, 2017 - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman issued the following statement in response to Governor Cuomo’s voting rights proposal:

"As my Civil Rights Bureau detailed in an exhaustive report last month, New Yorkers face some of the highest barriers to voting of any state in the country. There is no good reason New York lags the country, lacking early voting, same day voter registration, and streamlined online voter registration. That's why last month I announced I will introduce the NY Votes Act, which will provide a comprehensive roadmap to fixing our state's broken voting system. 

"On Primary Day last year, my office's voter hotline received ten times more voter complaints than anytime in history, with over 1,500 New Yorkers reporting cases of long lines, inaccurate voter rolls, and confusing and inconsistent policies at polling places across New York. That needs to change. 

"In addition to the proposals announced by Governor Cuomo today, we must enact changes that support greater voter participation, such as finally consolidating New York's unnecessary three primary schedule to a single day, and making it easier for New Yorkers to vote in the party primary of their choice. 

"I commend Governor Cuomo for proposing common sense reforms to our voting system. I look forward to working with Governor Cuomo, the legislature, and everyday New Yorkers across our state to address the systemic problems in New York's voting laws. New York must become a national leader in voting rights by expanding and protecting the rights of all New Yorkers to cast their vote. 

"Our guiding principle on voting rights should be simple: any law that makes voting easier is a good law--any law that makes voting harder, is a bad one. I look forward to making that principle a reality this legislative session."