Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Attorney General James Announces Election Day Hotline To Protect Voter Access During Tuesday's Special And Primary Elections


Voters Experiencing Problems Can Call 1-800-771-7755 or Email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov Between 6AM and 9PM

  Attorney General Letitia James  announced that the Attorney General’s Office will conduct an Election Day Hotline during Tuesday's elections throughout New York. The hotline will be available to troubleshoot and resolve a range of issues encountered by voters at their poll sites.   

Attorney General James urges voters experiencing problems or issues at the polls to call the Office’s Hotline at 1-800-771-7755 or email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov at any time between 6:00 AM and 9:00 PM on Election Day, Tuesday, June 25th. The Hotline will be staffed by attorneys and staff in the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Bureau.  
“New Yorkers throughout the State have the fundamental and absolute right to accessible elections,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “My office is doing everything in its power to ensure that New Yorkers are able to have their voices heard. I urge everyone to vote tomorrow and immediately contact our office if they encounter any barriers.” 
This Election Day, key changes in election law will be enacted throughout New York State, including:     
  • The closure of some regular poll sites on Tuesday as some positions have uncontested primaries. Voters can call their local Board of Elections or the Attorney General’s Hotline to determine if there is a contested primary they can vote in and to verify whether their poll site will be open.  
  • Voters who have moved to another county within New York may now cast a ballot at their new residence without resubmitting an entirely new registration form. This can be done by filing an affidavit ballot at their new residence’s local poll site.  
  • Poll sites in New York City, and the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess and Erie will open at 6:00 AM, while poll sites in all other counties will open at noon. 
There are additional changes to the election process set to take effect after Tuesday’s election, including:  
  • Voters will have the opportunity to vote early in the General Election in November.  
  • All poll sites will open at 6:00 AM beginning in 2020.  
The Attorney General’s Office has operated the voter access Hotline since November 2012. During previous elections, the Office fielded hundreds – and sometimes thousands – of complaints from voters across the state and worked with local election officials and others to address issues. In 2017, the Attorney General’s Office sued and secured a consent decree with the New York City Board of Elections regarding voter registration purges 
The Election Day Hotline is part of the Office’s ongoing effort to reduce barriers to voting. Attorney General James reminds all registered voters that they have the right to accessible elections. In addition, all registered voters have the right to vote free from coercion or intimidation, whether by election officials or any other person.  
The Office will receive and respond to election complaints relating to any of the statutes that the Office enforces. The Attorney General’s Election Day Hotline is being coordinated by Assistant Attorneys General Conor Duffy and Ajay Saini of the Civil Rights Bureau and led by Acting Civil Rights Bureau Chief Elena Goldstein. The Civil Rights Bureau is overseen by Chief Deputy Attorney General for Social Justice Meghan Faux.  

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