Rob McNally, Cattaraugus County

This is a major election year in New York and we need to have a unified approach to getting voters out in order to have a positive effect on the results.  Coordinate with your SCOPE chapter members and use the plan described here.  This can and will have the highest form of success if you implement it immediately.  Evidence of this is presented below based upon statistics achieved in 2014.  In 2014, Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties were effective in raising the voter turnout from what is typically 35% turnout in a mid-term election to an average of 48%, and that was with a very late start in the election year.  We have the whole summer to get this out.  We can be very effective with this.  As you may recall, Astorino won all but 8 counties in 2014.  Of the total vote, he only lost by half a million votes.  If EVERY county but those 8 were to be addressed with this program, we would increase the number of voter turnout far beyond that half million votes!  This CAN be done.

First, make contact with your county Board of Elections.  Their records are subject to open records laws and are available to anyone who requests them, free of charge.  Utilize the available roster of Board of Elections from the state website.... (https://www.elections.ny.gov/countyboards.html ).  This roster is in an Adobe.pdf file format and rather easy to print.  File a written request with the board of elections within your county via email or in person. Request a print out of ALL registered voters in the county WHO HAVE NOT VOTED IN THE LAST THREE GENERAL ELECTIONS, at minimum. You may want to go back one more general election, that is your choice.  The time periodof three general elections occupies roughly six years.  Divide those districts up into neighborhoods from which your membership derives.  Get your membership to then reach out to the names on those lists.  

Many will find neighbors and/or friends whom they know on that list. This is their ‘in’ to start a conversation with them.  Discuss with them what would be necessary to get those voters back out to the polls.  This should not be a confrontational discussion.  Simply inquire as to what motivation can get them back to the polls.  Some of that motivation could simply be giving them the numbers that support the claims here.  For instance, many make the oft repeated excuse that voters in New York City out number those of us in upstate.  This is not true, but very handy for those who do not wish to get out to the polls.  The actual numbers are very much in favor of upstate voters if we could simply convince those who choose not to vote to change their minds.  If you look at the statistics from 2016 and do a little math, you’ll find that total voters (active and inactive) in New York City amount to 4,475,157.  However, by subtracting those voters from the total voters in the entire state we come up with 7,251,685.(https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/enrollment/county/county_ apr16.pdf )  Could we come up with an additional half a million votes from that pool of voters?  I certainly think we can!

The next step is to continue the voter registration drives.(https://dmv.ny.gov/more-info/electronic-voter-registrationapplication) However, the bulk of our lost votes are typically in registered non-voters rather than unregistered new voters.  But maintaining this voter registration effort will simply supplement our drive of getting non-voting registered voters back to the polls. 

I hope this encourages those who might be eager to see some changes in this state.  If you were wondering what you could do to make this fall’s election resemble the 2016 federal election, this article suggests a path. Please be an encouragement to all our voters out there.  Make this the year we make our stand count and make a difference!