Albany, NY – In response to the 2020 election and ongoing vote count, Stanley Fritz, Political Director of Citizen Action of New York released the following statement:
What we’re seeing across the country is unprecedented turnout and millions of newly engaged voters making their voices heard. This wasn’t just any election year–our values were at stake. While we may not have all the final results yet, every single vote counts, and we must ensure that every vote is counted. Donald Trump knows he’s losing, so he will use every opportunity he can to try to undermine the democratic process. In the coming days and weeks, our chapters are organizing across the state to demand that every vote cast be counted.
In New York, the power of Citizen Action and our political home, the Working Families Party, was on full display. Citizen Action volunteers and staff contacted more than 130,000 New York voters in the days leading up to Election Day. After Governor Cuomo tripled the vote requirement for minor parties this year, we organized. We talked to our friends and families, texted our neighbors, doubled down on digital outreach and grew the New York Working Families Party. We didn’t just meet the threshold, we built a people-powered campaign to realize our vision for a multi-racial, multi-generational working-class political party. Together, we’re shifting the landscape of New York State politics and centering Black and Brown people in the movement we’re building.
Progressives flipped key State Senate seats in Upstate New York. When candidates run on the values that most people believe in–that everyone should be able to live with dignity and in a state where everyone can thrive–we win. Samra Brouk, Jeremy Cooney and others are growing the ranks of elected leaders in the State Senate who will prioritize the needs of the many, not the few.
As we wait for votes to be counted in other races, we’re looking forward to a New York State legislature that will be a bolder and stronger ally on taxing the super rich, guaranteeing housing as a human right, fully funding public schools and transforming the justice system.”