PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Marina Pino, Attorney at Brennan Center for Justice
2:47:18
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3 min
Marina Pino from the Brennan Center for Justice testifies in support of Resolution 189-A, which calls for moving NYC elections to even years to increase voter turnout and reduce costs. She also commends efforts to strengthen the city's small donor matching funds program and supports recent amendments to prevent abuse.
- Emphasizes that aligning city elections with state and federal elections can significantly increase turnout, especially among young voters and voters of color.
- Highlights potential cost savings of $42 million every other year by moving to even-year elections.
- Addresses recent allegations of abuse in the small donor matching funds program and supports efforts to refine safeguards while maintaining due process protections.
Marina Pino
2:47:18
Thank you.
2:47:19
Great.
2:47:19
Good afternoon, chair wrestler and council member.
2:47:21
My name is Marina Pino.
2:47:23
I'm an attorney at the Brennan Center For Justice, a nonpartisan public policy institute that works to strengthen our systems of democracy for all.
2:47:30
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
2:47:30
We applaud the Council for calling on lawmakers in Albany to build on its recent works moving certain local elections to even years by initiating the constitutional amendment process to align City Elections to.
2:47:44
We strongly support Resolution 189 A before you today.
2:47:48
The average voter turnout in New York City Mayoral elections is just 29 a half percent, which is drastically lower than turnout rates in even numbered years, as has been underscored earlier in this hearing.
2:48:00
Shifting city elections to even years can help address this urgent problem.
2:48:04
When City, State, and Federal elections are aligned, turnout increases, especially among young voters and voters of color.
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That's what we've seen in the country, in cities that have made the shift, including Los Angeles, Austin, and Baltimore.
2:48:17
In fact, research shows that Californian cities that have adopted this policy have seen turnout among younger voters nearly double, and substantial gains in turnout out among Hispanic and Asian American voters, as well.
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As the resolution highlights, a shift to even year elections will also reduce election administration costs.
2:48:35
The Independent Budget Office found that New York City stands to save an estimated $42,000,000 every other year.
2:48:42
By passing this resolution, the City Council will make crystal clear, it remains committed to giving underrepresented New Yorkers a more meaningful voice in their elections.
2:48:50
We urge this body to advance it without delay.
2:48:52
As for the 2025 election preparations, the Brennan Center commends the the Brennan Center commends the City Council for its continued efforts to strengthen New York City's small donor matching funds program.
2:49:00
For more than 35 years, the voluntary program has served as a necessary counterweight to the power of private wealth in our government, and as a nationwide model for reform.
2:49:13
Recent allegations of abuse of the City's program are deeply serious, and if they are proven true, they are an affront to the millions of New York City voters that the system was designed to serve.
2:49:24
We commend the City Council and the CFP for their ongoing work to shore up this very important program, and we urge you to remain vigilant in continuing to refine program safeguards with appropriate due process protections to ensure that under resourced campaigns are not deterred in their participation.
2:49:41
To that end, we support the CFP's recent amendments to its rules, including one that makes a campaign's failure to timely provide requested documents, mandatory grounds for non payment of public funds with certain reasonable exceptions, again, which has been discussed earlier at this hearing.
2:49:56
We also support the council and the CFP's continued efforts to examine how the law may be further strengthened.
2:50:02
As the CFP prepares for next year's election, it must continue to assess its internal practices to both protect the program from misuse, and ensure timely or post election audits as described in my written testimony, which I submitted online.
2:50:15
The Brennan Center stands ready to support all of these efforts.
2:50:18
Thank you again.
