So Why Didn’t More People Vote?

December 6th, 2012 by Sakib Ahmed

If you’re one of the nearly 126 million people who voted in this past election, give yourself a pat on the back. Unlike you, there are millions of people who didn’t participate in this election, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. Even in 2008, which had the highest voter turnout in decades, only 62% of eligible citizens voted. Compared to that year, 5 million fewer people voted in 2012 for a total of 93 million eligible citizens who did not vote.

When this figure is compared to those of other countries, the U.S. ranks quite poorly in voter turnout, ranking below the Dominican Republic and 120 other countries. When nations like Australia and Singapore can have regular turnouts of over 90%, why don’t more people in the U.S vote?

Read more…


The Supreme Court Will Revisit The Voting Rights Act Because Discrimination Is Over, Right?

November 16th, 2012 by Sakib Ahmed

Amidst efforts by state governments to restrict early voting and enact new voter ID laws, the Supreme Court announced last week that it will take up a case concerning the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

Section 5 requires certain state and local governments with a past history of racial bias in voting, mostly in the South, to obtain permission from the federal government before making changes that affect voting. It applies to nine states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and some counties and municipalities in seven other states.

“The America that elected and reelected Barack Obama… is far different than when the Voting Rights Act was first enacted in 1965,” said Edward Blum of the Project on Fair Representation, which brought the challenge. “Congress unwisely reauthorized a bill that is stuck in a Jim Crow-era time warp.”

Read more…


[VIDEO] Hurricane Sandy Clouds Up Student Voting

November 6th, 2012 by McKenzie Beehler and Jorge Morillo

Hurricane Sandy caused a lot of devastation on the East Coast days before the presidential election. We talked to NYU students to find out if the hurricane’s aftermath affected their vote.

Via NYU Local on Youtube


NYU Student, Does Your Vote Matter? Not At All… But, Really, Yes

November 6th, 2012 by John Surico

Tripping over your decision to vote is like losing your religion. The whole prospect of choosing a leader makes the Average Joe into a red, white and blue agnostic on the Big Day. Every four years in America, you question your individuality and faith in the Grand Scheme of Things and start to have these existential thoughts about your entire action and role in the American political experiment. Why should I vote? Does my vote even matter? Do I even matter? What am I? And how did I get here?

And yes, we feel for you: In a dark blue state like New York, the game-time decision to participate in a presidential election can be a confusing one. You’re just a college student in the middle of the deathly liberal bastion that is New York City; who the hell is waiting to hear what you have to say? Well, we’re here to tell you the cold hard truth of the American electoral system: No one is taking you or your vote seriously. But that still means you should give it a try. Here are a few points/counterpoints to make you budge: Read more…


How You Will Vote In New York (TOMORROW!) [UPDATED]

November 5th, 2012 by Ava Kiai

Tomorrow is the day that vicious headlines and skewed polls take a backseat to real things like election results and electoral votes. Hurricane Sandy subsided in time to allow New Yorkers to get to the polls, while the State Board of Elections has allowed an extension on the deadline for absentee ballots to accommodate out-of-state voters.

For New Yorkers:

When voting in state, you may only vote in your designated voting station, determined by the address you wrote on your voter registration form. (UPDATE: The governor has said New Yorkers can vote anywhere in the state. How cool is that?) After arriving at your assigned Election District polling station, you will simply sign your name on the list of registered voters as a way of “signing in” before being given a voting card and being directed to a voting machine. A guide to which mystical voting machines await you at each polling station can be found here.

Polling locations open at 6:00 AM and close at 9:00 PM local time. For assistance or information, you can always call the New York State Voter phone bank at 1.866.VOTE.NYC. Read more…


You’d Think Voting Would Be Really Easy, But America Is Having Problems With It

November 5th, 2012 by Sakib Ahmed

Election Day is tomorrow, no matter what anyone else tries to tell you. And while the act of voting is uncomplicated, problems arise—especially in swing states, where campaigns pour in with millions of dollars in ads. In the days leading up to the election, citizens from numerous states have encountered obstacles in exercising their right to vote. Some problems, like those brought on by Hurricane Sandy, were nobody’s fault. Other problems, like voter registration cards having the wrong date listed for Election Day, are more suspicious. But in any case, any irregularity has the potential to deter someone from voting, depriving them of one of their rights. Has your state been affected by problems that restrict voting?

New Jersey Residents Can Vote By Email Or Fax
New Jersey officials announced Saturday that registered voters can vote electronically. Any New Jersey voter displaced from their primary residence because of the storm will be considered an “overseas voter” and can apply for an absentee ballot by email or fax as late as 5 p.m. on Election Day. If the voter’s county clerk approves their application, the voter will receive a “waiver of secrecy” and a ballot either by email or fax, which they must return by email or fax no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day. Read more…


NYU Urges Professors To Step Off So Students Can Vote

November 5th, 2012 by Ari Lipsitz

Sandwiched between the torrent of NYU emails about Hurricane Sandy (“Third North has no hot water,” “halal caf isn’t open yet,” “you will not get tuition back”) was a pretty great email from the administration about voting. Basically, it acknowledged Sandy was a clusterbleep, that classes would be in full swing this week, and therefore it urged professors to establish “a somewhat flexible approach” to allow students to vote.

You know what this means, right? NYU officially condones skipping class to vote. (This is not true.) They definitely do condone lenient professors understanding that civic duty takes like 45 minutes, and it’s just ridiculous to forbid students from voting because of a heavy workload. That said, they tried to get professors off our backs last week with Sandy, and we’re pretty sure our grade dropped because we didn’t hand in that assignment due the Monday the storm hit – because hey, since the storm hadn’t hit yet, we had no excuse, right? Because we totally knew when that storm would hit and were doing nothing to prepare for it. Maybe the professor knew something in Park Slope that we didn’t. Anyway.

Anyway go vote tomorrow—we’ll tell you again. NYU wants you to. Aka, you have no excuse.

[Unbelievably relevant image via]


Absentee Ballots: What You Need To Know To Vote Out Of State

May 10th, 2012 by Devika M. Balaram

Last week we encouraged all of you to register to vote and flex your over-18 muscles. This week, we’re interested in demystifying the Absentee Balloting process, which varies from state to state.

Already Registered (outside of New York)

For those of you who nonchalantly registered to vote when you went to the DMV to pick up your new 18+ drivers licenses outside of New York state, voting in the 2012 election will be a remote process.

Those who decide to simply invalidate any out-of New York voter registration can register to vote in New York. But if you live in what’s being called a “purple” state – like Pennsylvania – why on earth would you do that? Absentee voting is a great way to have your voice heard back home – especially in a tight election year. Whether Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or independent, you should really think about where your vote and your voice will matter the most.

Read more…


Read This If You Want To Register To Vote In New York

May 2nd, 2012 by Devika M. Balaram

Donald Trump should be the mascot for the 2012 election seasonStudent voters should be on their toes this year. With new obstacles to voting being ID presentation and extensive citizenship verification in the registration process, it’s clear that there are hurdles that have to be climbed to “get out the vote.”

Throughout the country, voter registration and balloting have begun to face new and unforeseen levels of red tape. Though New York City Election Boards have been relatively articulate about expectations and requirements for voter registration, we’re sharing with you some of the basics about voter registration before the rush comes this fall.

Here’s what to remembering about registering to vote in New York: Read more…