Bay Ridge

Malliotakis says non-voters shouldn’t be hit with fines

March 24, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
“If a citizen does not want to exercise that privilege, it is also their right,” says Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis. Photo courtesy of Malliotakis’ office
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In the 2016 presidential election, 55.98 percent of eligible voters in New York City went to the polls, according to the Board of Elections. But an effort to increase those numbers for the next election is running into opposition in Albany.

Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis (R-C-Bay Ridge-Staten Island) has come out against a bill sponsored by Assemblymember Deborah Glick (D-Manhattan) that would make voting compulsory in New York state. Under Glick’s bill, people who are eligible to vote and who don’t vote would be subject to a $10 fine.

Malliotakis said the bill places an unfair tax burden on New Yorkers.

“The right to vote is a privilege reserved for each citizen. If a citizen does not want to exercise that privilege, it is also their right,” Malliotakis said in a statement. “Government shouldn’t be looking to financially hold its voters hostage or penalize citizens who exercise their rights and freedoms. Policies like this are what make voters apathetic and disenchanted with politics.”

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In a memo that was submitted with her bill, Glick wrote that making voting a mandatory part of the lives of New Yorkers would help voters and elected officials alike.

“Mandatory voting would drastically increase civic participation and transform the political arena by making politicians more reflective of the constituents that elected them,” Glick wrote.

Besides, Glick stated that New York state imposes other obligations on its citizens. “We have a jury system. People always complain. Jury duty, it’s a pain in the neck, but it’s an obligation of your citizenship, as is voting,” she told the Daily News.

The bill offers an out for some voters. A fine would not be imposed if a voter has a valid excuse for not showing up at the polls.

 


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