“Votes Rebuild New York” Campaign Launched

Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin giving a “thumbs-up” at the City Hall press conference, with Chancellor Matthew Goldstein and Councilman Charles Barron.

An intensive new City University of New York voter registration, citizenship and poll-worker program—“Votes Rebuild New York”—was officially launched at a rally and press conference April 26 on the steps of City Hall.

It is expected that as many as 2,500 CUNY students will serve as poll-workers in the fall primary and general elections.

Joining CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein were Council Speaker Gifford Miller, Assemblyman and President of the Central Labor Council Brian McLaughlin, Citizens Union Foundation President Robert Abrams, and Charles Barron, the Chairman of the City Council’s Higher Education Committee. Union members, representatives of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), and CUNY students were also present at the kick-off.

“Votes Rebuild New York” is a nonpartisan effort that combines three successful CUNY projects. “Project Vote” is the University-wide voter registration and education initiative, the largest campus voter registration drive in the country. “The Citizenship and Immigration Project,” founded in 1997, is the nation’s most comprehensive university-level legal services program focused on immigration issues. The “Poll-Worker Initiative,” created last spring in collaboration with the New York City Board of Elections at the behest of Speaker Miller, recruited more than 1,700 poll-workers to help address shortages for last fall’s primary and general elections.

“I want to thank Speaker Miller for suggesting that CUNY assist the City by recruiting students to address the poll-worker shortage,’’ said Chancellor Goldstein. “And I commend Assemblyman McLaughlin and the Central Labor Council for partnering with CUNY as we intensify our citizenship and voter registration efforts.”

Citizens Union Foundation President Robert Abrams said, “Chancellor Goldstein and CUNY are to be congratulated for their commitment and leadership in recruiting poll-workers for last year’s primary and general election. CUNY stood out among all colleges and law schools in energizing its student body to fill a gaping hole in administrating elections in New York City.”

The City Hall rally was the highlight of numerous events and activities that are taking place on 19 CUNY campuses. These include citizenship days, voter registration, and poll-worker recruitment at fairs, spring festivals, and conferences. To date more than 1,000 poll-workers have been recruited at York College, Bronx Community College, Hunter College, and the CUNY Big Apple Job Fair. Similar successful efforts have also been held for voter registration at Hostos Community College and for the Citizenship Project at Bronx and LaGuardia Community Colleges.