Policy & Legislative Agenda 2026
Why state action is more urgent than ever
In 2026, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais gutted Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act, stripping communities of color of a critical tool to challenge discriminatory voting laws. New York must lead. Our state has a responsibility — and an opportunity — to enact strong, durable protections that the federal government has failed to guarantee. The bills below represent our 2026 legislative priorities across three areas: voter access, voter protection, and money in politics.
Voter Access: Making it easier to participate
Same-Day Voter Registration Constitutional Amendment — S751 / A2162
New York’s current registration deadline locks out eligible voters who miss the cutoff — a barrier that falls disproportionately on communities of color, young voters, and low-income New Yorkers.
But same-day registration cannot be enacted by statute alone. The State Constitution requires voters to register at least ten days before an election. Lifting it requires a constitutional amendment (S5751) that must pass two separately elected Legislatures and be approved by voters before any same-day registration law can take effect. This is a multi-year fight, and we are building for
- Allows eligible voters to register and cast a ballot on the same day
- Brings New York in line with 20 other states and D.C. that have already adopted same-day registration
- Reduces the impact of voter roll purges and administrative errors
- Requires a constitutional amendment first
Enhanced Automatic Voter Registration (EAVR) — S88 / A6772
Builds on New York’s existing automatic voter registration system by expanding the agencies that automatically register eligible voters and improving data accuracy.
- Expands AVR to additional state agencies beyond the DMV (including Medicaid enrollment through the Department of Health and local social services)
- Ensures eligible New Yorkers are registered without additional steps
- Reduces the registration gap for BIPOC communities with lower rates of DMV interaction
New York Counts Act — S6898 / A5864
Protects New York’s ability to conduct a fair and accurate census count — a foundation for equitable representation and federal resource allocation in BIPOC communities.
- Establishes dedicated state funding for census outreach and hard-to-count communities
- Ensures New York does not lose representation due to an undercount of communities of color
Voter Protection: Defending the right to vote
John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York (NYVRA) — Enacted 2022, protect & strengthen
Named for the late Congressman John Lewis, the NYVRA is the most comprehensive state voting rights law in the country — New York’s answer to a Supreme Court that gutted federal preclearance in Shelby County and Section 2 in Louisiana v. Callais. Its preclearance requirement took effect in September 2024, and a state appeals court upheld the law as constitutional in January 2025. It’s already working. Our job now is to defend it and make it stronger.
- Requires jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to preclear election changes before they take effect — the tool the Supreme Court switched off nationally in 2013
- Prohibits vote dilution, intimidation, deception, and obstruction, and expands language assistance
Democracy During Detention Act (DDDA) — S440 / A2121
Most people detained in jails have not lost their right to vote — yet their access to the ballot is severely limited due to the absence of a formalized voting process. The DDDA closes that gap.
- Sets a statewide standard for absentee ballot access in county jails
- Establishes a bipartisan in-person absentee ballot collection program for large facilities, run by election officials
- Gives election boards the option to deploy a poll site at jails
Keep Armed Agents Away from the Polls — S10618 / A11530
After armed agents confronted a poll worker at a Syracuse voting site during New York’s June 2026 primary, this bill writes New York’s protection against armed intimidation at the polls into state law and makes it enforceable.
- Bars any official, including the military, from bringing troops or armed personnel to an election site, except to repel an armed enemy of the United States
- Prohibits using force, threats, or intimidation to decide who may vote or interfere with how an election is run
- Backs the ban with criminal penalties and a civil enforcement path in New York’s own courts
Money in Politics: Leveling the playing field
New York State Public Campaign Finance Program — Enacted 2020, protect & strengthen
After more than twenty years of advocacy, New York’s Public Campaign Finance Program was implemented in 2022 — the largest small-donor matching program in the nation. The program completed its first full cycle in 2024. Now we must protect and strengthen it for 2026 and beyond.
- Over 300 candidates opted in during the 2024 cycle; more than 160 received public matching funds
- Must be adequately budgeted and insulated from rollback as the 2026 cycle is now underway
Democracy Preservation Act (DPA) — S324 / A1258
The DPA closes the loophole that lets corporations with significant foreign ownership spend in New York’s state and local elections. It bans contributions and political spending by foreign-influenced business entities and requires corporations to certify that they fall below the foreign-ownership thresholds.
- Bans election spending by business entities whose foreign ownership exceeds set thresholds
- Requires corporate certification of compliance
- Has passed the State Senate repeatedly (most recently January 2026)