Learning Session: Ballot Access & Expansion for New Yorkers with Criminal Legal System Involvement
Wednesday May 8th, 10:00 am to 11:30am
Panel:
Marlon Peterson, Executive Director, College & Community Fellowship
Victor Pate, Co-Director of The HALT Solitary Confinement Coalition.
Nicole Porter, Senior Director of Advocacy,
The Sentencing Project Moderator:
Zabrina Collazo, Program Officer, New York Foundation and GoVoteNYC co-chair
This learning session looks at ballot access for incarcerated people who are legally eligible to vote, and ballot expansion: legal and constitutional changes to enfranchise people after incarceration. The panel discusses the current state of play in New York and what we can learn from other states. They also discuss models to engage formerly incarcerated people in voting, such as deploying trusted messengers.
Learning Session: Journalism and Democracy : The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
GoVoteNYC and the Lenfest Institute for Journalism present Journalism and Democracy : The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Tuesday April 9th 2024
This learning session examined the role of the media in influencing civic engagement and voter turnout. The panel brought experience in journalism, philanthropy and community engagement. They examined how media can effectively engage in this polarized environment, positive models from NYC and Philadelphia, and how funders should approach funding media to support civics.
Panel
Shawn Mooring, Head of Philadelphia Programs at Lenfest Institute for Journalism
Mikhael Simmonds, Executive Director of the Center for Community Media at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
Mazin Sidahmed, Executive Director, Documented
Moderator
Martha King, Senior Program Officer, Charles Revson Foundation, GoVoteNYC co-chair
Commentary
Sandra Choi, Director of Civic Participation, MinKwon Center for Community Action
Learning Session: Can New York Finally Deliver Voting By Mail?
Tuesday, December 5th, 2023
Speakers
Susan Lerner, executive director, Common Cause/New York
Andrew Garber, counsel, Voting Rights and Elections Program, Brennan Center
Bishop Dwayne Royster, executive director, POWER, Pennsylvania
Moderated by Patricia A. Swann, senior program advisor at the New York Community Trust and GoVoteNYC co-chair
Attempts to allow New Yorkers to join millions of other Americans in being able to cast their ballots by mail have been episodic and confused. The ability to vote by mail was expanded during COVID through executive order and a temporary state law, but that provision expired. A 2021 referendum question to amend the state constitution to create no-excuse absentee voting, failed. Then in the final days of the 2023 session, the State Legislature passed The New York Early Mail Voter Act. Governor Hochul signed the bill into law in September and a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality was immediately filed.
This session will update you on the latest developments in this fast-moving dynamic and ask whether New York can finally get it right and deliver voting by mail.
You will also hear about the experience of voting by mail in other states and what New York can learn from them. Pennsylvania recently implemented a similar law to New York to make it easier for voters to request a mail ballot. But other states, particularly in the west, do not require voters to ask for a mail ballot. Instead they have universal vote by mail where all eligible voters receive either a ballot or ballot application by default.
How much difference to voter turnout in New York might these various approaches make?
GoVoteNYC is committed to a welcoming, accessible experience. If you need accommodations or accessibility to join and participate in this event please specify your request in an email to info@govotenyc.org
Learning Session: New York City Hall Civic Engagement Team
October 4th 2023
High levels of civic trust and civic engagement are key to a thriving democracy. In December 2022 Mayor Adams announced an Office of Engagement to prioritize community engagement for his administration and to increase and improve citywide engagement efforts. Chicago is the only other major US city with such an office. Can such a focus within city government increase civic trust and democratic participation in NYC and, if so, how?
The Office of Engagement, led by Betsy MacLean, former executive director of Hester Street oversees the Community Affairs Unit, Public Engagement Unit, NYC Service, and the Civic Engagement Commission and coordinates outreach and engagement across all city agencies. Their efforts to transform the culture of engagement in the city include building on NYC Speaks, increasing cross-agency coordination and collaboration, proactive voter engagement and activation through DemocracyNYC, and “The People’s Money,” which is New York City’s first-ever citywide participatory budgeting process, open to anyone 11 and up, regardless of immigration or incarceration status.
This webinar provides an opportunity to hear from the City Hall “democracy team” and learn more about how they are approaching increasing civic trust and engagement: the challenges and the opportunities.
Speakers
Betsy MacLean, Chief Engagement Officer, City of New York
Kathleen Daniel, Chief Democracy Officer, City of New York
Dr. Sarah Sayeed, Chair & Executive Director, Civic Engagement Commission, City of New York
The conversation is moderated by GoVoteNYC co-chair Martha King of the Revson Foundation.
City Limits: Opinion. Trusted Relationships are the Secret Ingredient to Increased Voter Turnout
“An analysis of voter turnout by the New York City Campaign Finance Board found that from 2008 to 2018, only 3 percent of registered voters cast their vote in every election in which they were eligible. More than a fifth of registered voters did not turn out to vote in any election in which they were eligible to vote.”
GoVoteNYC Fund announces $475,000 in grants to increase voter turnout
(June 28, 2023) New York, NY – The GoVoteNYC Fund in The New York Community Trust has announced $475,000 in grants to nine nonprofits for nonpartisan get-out-the-vote activities.
The grantees, who are all trusted messengers in their communities, include: The Asian American Federation, Center for Law & Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, El Puente, Faith in New York, Hispanic Federation, MinKwon Center for Community Action, New York Civic Engagement Table, New York Immigration Coalition, and United Neighborhood Houses.
Grants build on study finding that leveraging the trust of community groups almost doubled voter turnout in targeted populations
(June 28, 2023) New York, NY – The GoVoteNYC Fund in The New York Community Trust has announced $475,000 in grants to nine nonprofits for nonpartisan get-out-the-vote activities.
The grantees, who are all trusted messengers in their communities, include: The Asian American Federation, Center for Law & Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, El Puente, Faith in New York, Hispanic Federation, MinKwon Center for Community Action, New York Civic Engagement Table, New York Immigration Coalition, and United Neighborhood Houses.
This is the third year of grants by the GoVoteNYC funder collaborative, which brings together a dozen donors to make grants, learns together with grantees how best to advance civic engagement, and has increased voter turnout across the five boroughs of New York City.
In both the 2021 and 2022 grantmaking cycles, the New York Civic Engagement Table (NYCET) helped grantee nonprofit partners build targeted voter lists and refine outreach efforts by providing data support and training on the use of new tools. NYCET also offered field support to grantees as they implemented programs. NYCET will receive a $75,000 grant to continue this work in 2023 and into 2024.
The grant awards build on an evaluation of the first two years of grantmaking by the funder collaborative showing success in increasing voter turnout through local nonprofits using relational voter outreach, which are methods emphasizing conversations and other types of one-to-one engagement with friends, family, colleagues, members, and clients. In 2021, for example, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) voters canvassed by GoVoteNYC grantees voted at almost double the rate of BIPOC voters who were not contacted (37 percent of BIPOC voters canvassed by GoVoteNYC partners voted versus 20 percent of BIPOC voters not contacted).
The evaluation was conducted by Seema Shah, founder and principal of COMM|VEDA Consulting. In addition to tracking higher voter turnout in targeted communities, the evaluation found that the participating nonprofits built fruitful connections with other organizations, laying the groundwork for a strengthened infrastructure for civic engagement in the city. The evaluation noted ongoing challenges, including voter alienation, election fatigue, a dysfunctional election system, misinformation campaigns, and the ongoing effects of COVID-19.
Historically, New York City's voter turnout for all elections, especially local ones, has been abysmally low, ranking towards the bottom among large American cities, with roughly 1 in 4 registered New Yorkers participating. The GoVoteNYC donor collaborative, which is housed in The New York Community Trust, was formed in 2021 with the goal of changing this trend. The GoVoteNYC collaborative is now focused on building upon the lessons learned from the evaluation report to increase voter turnout in the 2025 citywide elections. This new round of grants will support that work.
“New York’s democracy is being reinforced and rebuilt by community groups working together in every neighborhood in the city,” said Martha King, senior program officer at the Charles H. Revson Foundation and a GoVoteNYC co-chair. “As GoVoteNYC enters its third year and makes another round of grants, it’s very encouraging to see the success of nonprofits’ civic engagement efforts.”
“GoVoteNYC supports nonprofit partners that are deploying both creative new ideas and proven approaches to reach voters, many of whom have not voted in the past or are typically overlooked in the democratic process,” said Patricia A. Swann, program director of Thriving Communities at the New York Community Trust and a GoVoteNYC co-chair. “It’s inspiring to see the success of traditional engagement and the development of new tools and approaches. However, while we celebrate the successful achievement of increased participation we acknowledge that it still leaves New York City voter participation at an unacceptably low number.”
“This evaluation shows the importance of relational outreach compared to one-off, transactional Get Out the Vote mass texts or phone calls,” said Zabrina Collazo, program officer at the New York Foundation and a GoVoteNYC co-chair. “This approach is best suited to trusted community organizations that can embed voter turnout work into existing programs, building on longstanding relationships. That’s a recipe for future success and why we are thrilled to make another round of grants to continue this important work.”
The current GoVoteNYC funders are the Altman Foundation, Brooklyn Community Foundation, the Charles H. Revson Foundation, The Ford Foundation, Moelis Family Foundation, The New York Community Trust, New York Foundation, New York Women’s Foundation, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Scherman Foundation, Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies and the Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock.
About The New York Community Trust
The New York Community Trust is a public charity and New York City’s largest community foundation. It connects generous people and institutions with high-impact nonprofits making the city and its suburbs a better place for all. It builds stronger communities, influences public policy, fosters innovation, improves lives, and protects our environment.
Learning Session: Waking the Sleeping Giant of Electoral Politics - A Webinar Hosted by GoVoteNYC and Philanthropy New York
Now outnumbering Baby Boomers, Millennials are the largest American adult cohort, and Gen Z-ers make up ten percent of the electorate. As millions more Gen Z-ers reach voting age over the next decade, their political clout is growing. In the 2022 midterm elections, voters aged 18-29 turned out at a rate of 27% across the country, the second-highest rate in 30 years. But New York continues to be among the states with the lowest rates nationally.
Speakers
· Sanda Balaban, Co-Founder and Director, YVote/Next Gen
· Brianna Cea, Executive Director and Founder, Generation Vote
· DeNora Getachew, CEO, Do Something
· Rachel Gita Karp, Program Director, Unstoppable Voters, Center for Artistic Activism
· Abby Kiesa, Deputy Director, Tuft University’s CIRCLE
· Fanta Ballo (moderator), Poet, Artist, and Activist
Gotham Gazette: Opinion. The Three Vs for Voter Engagement: Validators, Volunteers and Visibility
GoVoteNYC, a collaborative of more than a dozen foundations and donors committed to nonpartisan activity to strengthen democracy in New York City, is an eager contributor to this work. GoVoteNYC supports nonprofit partners that are deploying both creative new ideas and proven approaches to reach voters, many of whom have not voted in the past or are typically overlooked in the democratic process.
Learning Session: 2022 Impact Report
March 28, 2023
Melody Lopez from New York Civic Engagement Table presents an overview of the impact of GoVoteNYC grantees in the 2022 elections.