Stay up to date on the NY BIPOC Democracy Table’s advocacy, press coverage, events, and legislative wins. We are fighting every day to build a democracy that reflects and serves all New Yorkers.
2026
Event — May 26, 2026
NY BIPOC Democracy Table at Voting Rights Rally, Foley Square
Members of the Table participated in a statewide voting-rights rally in Lower Manhattan, calling on New York to protect communities’ political power in the wake of the Supreme Court’s gutting of Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act.
Testimony — Spring 2026
Testimony: Democracy During Detention Act, NYC Council Joint Hearing
The NY BIPOC Democracy Table submitted oral and written testimony in support of the Democracy During Detention Act, urging the Council to act on behalf of the thousands of New Yorkers detained in city jails who retain the right to vote but cannot access the ballot.
Advocacy Update — Spring 2026
Albany Advocacy Day: Seven bills, thirty legislators
The NY BIPOC Democracy Table partnered with the League of Women Voters NYS for an Albany Advocacy Day, meeting with approximately 30 legislators on seven priority bills, including the Democracy During Detention Act, Democracy Preservation Act, Same-Day Voter Registration, and Enhanced Automatic Voter Registration.
Press Release 2026
Press Release — June 3, 2026
Black and Brown Political Power Is Not a Bargaining Chip
As the New York State Legislature considers mid-decade redistricting, the NY BIPOC Democracy Table issued a forceful statement, making clear that Black and Brown political power cannot be used as a bargaining chip in the process. The statement backs two specific demands: mid-decade redistricting that reflects the urgency of the moment, and expanding the Independent Redistricting Commission from ten to eleven members to prevent deadlock from being weaponized against communities of color. With the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais having gutted Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act, the Table warns that New York must act now — pointing to Tennessee’s swift dismantling of a majority-Black congressional district as a preview of what’s at stake.
Read Release: Mid-Decade Redistricting
May 1, 2026
New York must lead: Our response to Louisiana v. Callais
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling gutting Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act, the NY BIPOC Democracy Table called on Albany to pass the Democracy Preservation Act and strengthen the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York as critical state-level backstops.
Read release: NY BIPOC Democracy Table Statement on Callais Decision.