New Senate Majority Has Mandate to End Big Money’s Dominance, Pass Fair Elections

by | Nov 6, 2018 | Press Releases

Albany, NY—In response to the election of a Democratic Senate majority, Karen Scharff, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York, has issued the following statement:

“The Republican majority that for so long has blocked progress in our state is no more. Citizen Action members have spent decades fighting for a State Senate that will respond to the needs of our communities, and tonight that State Senate was elected.

“The voices of everyday New Yorkers spoke louder and stronger than the money of CEO billionaires who have used their power and influence to enrich themselves at our expense. The unstoppable volunteer energy out on the doors and on the phones led to record turnout and a Senate majority that finally represents the values of everyday New Yorkers.

“Our communities need fully funded public schools, guaranteed health care for all, an end to mass incarceration, and affordable housing. But to make these changes, we first need to fix our broken campaign finance laws so that all New Yorkers have a seat at the table. This must be a day-one priority in January.

“As long as hedge funders and developers dominate elections, working New Yorkers’ voices get drowned out. To achieve a democracy where elections are decided by voters—and not big money—we need a small dollar matching program for campaigns, expanded voting rights, and to close the LLC loophole. We look forward to working with the new State Senate Majority, the Assembly, and the Governor to finally get this done.”

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