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Text
FOIA Number:
2006-0469-F
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the William J. Clinton
Presidential Library Staff.
Collection/Record Group:
Clinton Presidential Records
Subgroup/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting
Series/Staff Member:
Michael Waldman
Subseries:
OA/ID Number:
14423
FolderlD:
Folder Title:
[State of the Union 1999] Millennium: Democracy
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
s
92
3
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�Dec 18 '98
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PUBLIC ADVOCATE FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK
MARK GREEN
Public Advocate
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CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This txansmissicm was intended solely lor the individual or entity to whom it is
addressed and may contain irdbrmation which is confidential or protected by privilege. If you are not die intended
recipient, please contact the sender to arrange for the return or otlier disposition of die Lransniission. Pending
disposition, you are requested not to review the transmission materials; not to disclose or distribute them to
anyone; and not to make or allow to be made any copies thereof.
1 CENTRE STREET
NEW YORK, NY 10007
TEL: (212) 669-7200
mgreen@pubadvocate.nyc.gov TTY: (212) 669-7438
FAX: (2U) 669-4701
�Dec 18 '98
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PUBLIC ADVOCATE FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK
MARK GREEN
Public Advocate
TESTIMONY OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE MARK GREEN
BEFORE THE GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
ON NYC PRO-VOTER ACT - INTRO. 450
December 11,1998
I would like to congratulate Council Member Pinkett for holding today's hearing on the
New York City Pro-Voter Act. I am proud to be a prime sponsor along with Council Member
Miller of Intro. 450, which would establish a system of staff assisted voter registration within city
agencies and would require the distribution of voter registration forms in New York City tax
packets. I also applaud my 30 colleagues in the Council who have joined in as sponsors.
Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. With each new voter, democracy grows
stronger. At the tum of the last century, literacy tests, poll taxes, white only primaries and voter
registration laws were used to keep minorities and immigrants from voting and actively
participating in the democratic process. As we end this century, all are gone - - except for voter
registration laws.
Interestingly, seven states in the U.S., including Maine, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Wyoming,
Idaho, New Hampshire and North Dakota have either election day registration or no registration
at all. However New York, which in many ways is one ofthe most progressive states, retains
some ofthe most antiquated, arcane voter registration laws in the country. As a result, New
York has one of the highest numbers of eligible unregistered voters in the country. New York
State ranks a dismal 47 out of S states in voter registration.
O
Worse, 2 million of the 5.5 million eligible! New York City adults are unregistered. And
while 51% of eligible voters turned out in the 1996 presidential general election nationally, only
36% did so in New York City - - and only 34% voted in our 1997 mayoral election.
In order to address the problem of low voter registration nationwide, in 1993 President
Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act into law. A year later. New York State
amended state law to comply with the NVRA. Both statutes require that motor vehicle
departments (hence the name "Motor Voter Law"), public assistance agencies and agencies
serving people with disabihties provide voter registration forms and assistance to all clients
applying for benefits, a change of address or recertification.
The NVRA has worked well to increase the number of registered voters nationally
However, it has been anything but successful in New York State, particularly in New York City.
1 CENTRH STREET
NEW YORK, NY 10007
TEL: (212) 669-7200
n1green@pubadvoc4te.nyc.gov
FAX: (212) 669-4701
TTY: (212) 669-7438
�Dec 18 '98
12:00
P. 02
In 1995, for example. New York State registered only 471,334 people under NVRA compared to
other large states like Texas and Florida which registered 1,338,156 and 927,163 people
respectively that year.
In order to gauge how the State was handling NVRA, in September, 1995, staff and
volunteers from my office interviewed 408 clients at 18 Income Support Centers throughout New
York City. The results of this survey were dramatic and disturbing:
•
51% of the clients surveyed did not receive voter registration materials as required by law;
•
69.9% of the clients surveyed who did receive forms were not offered assistance to
register;
•
42% ofthe Centers surveyed did not post voter registration signs.
New York City suffers the mostfromNew York State'sflawedsystem of NVRA
implementation. Since November 1, 1996, city voter roils have increased by 188,489. However,
voter rolls in the rest of the state have increased by 390,143 - - almost twice as much as New
York City. This is largely because current state and federal law require that a sophisticated
computerized voter registration plan be put in place in motor vehicle agencies, but no such plans
are required in public assistance agencies. So, while more than 91% ofthe state's residents
eighteen and over outside ofthe City hold drivers licenses and can register to vote easily through
the Department of Motor Vehicles, less than 50% of City residents hold drivers licenses and
therefore do not utilize DMV as a means to register to vote. By contrast, two-thirds ofthe stated
public assistance recipients reside in New York City.
This has more of an impact on communities of color because, while only 23% of white
households across the state do not have an car, more than 56% of African-American and 59% of
Latino households do not. This means there are less voter registration opportunities offered to
people of color by government agencies. This is not only biased against minorities in the City, but
against the City as a whole because it is losing its proportionate level of representation compared
to the rest of the state.
It is clear that New York City should do more to enfranchise eligible voters and to ensure
that the political balance does not dramatically shift against the city. Unfortunately, City Hall has
given minimal support to voter registration efforts in city agencies. For example, the Mayoral
appointees on the Voter Assistance Commission^ of which I am a member, have consistently
voted against strong regulations that would encourage agencies to distribute voter registration
forms and engage in voter registration activities.
That is why a law like the New York City Pro-Voter act is so vital and so important. It
compels city agencies to reach out to New York Cjity residents who are not covered by existing
state and federal mandates. The bill's mandate is simple: that city agencies include voter
registration forms in the materials they normally provide to clients seeking services and that city
employees provide assistance, when necessary, in completing those forms. The bill also directs
city agencies to include a mandate in all new or renewed agreements with subcontractors having
regular contact with the public to also distribute voter registration forms and materials. So, under
the Pro-Voter Act, if an individual decides to apply for a job at the Department of Personnel, or
�Dec 18 '98
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P. 04
someone wants to lodge a complaint at the Department of Consumer Affairs or HPD, they would
be given an opportunity to register to vote. Such opportunity currently does not exist under local
law.
The Pro-Voter Act also requires agencies to send voter registration forms with any agency
communication sent to clients through the mail and, specifically requires the New York City
Department of Finance to include a voter registration packet in tax packets during citywide
municipal and state election years. The enormous potential for reaching out to and increasing the
number of registered voters in this way is really what the spirit ofthe NVRA is all about.
One very important feature ofthe Pro-Voter Act is the strengthening of the Voter
Assistance Commission. Currently, VAC does not have the authority to issue rules requiring
agency coordinators to implement specific voter registration procedures. The Pro-Voter Act fills
this legislative gap by giving VAC the power to develop and adopt the rules and regulations
necessary to carry out the law's mandate. This better enables VAC to encourage and facilitate
voter registration and voting by all eligible City residents, without political interference. In
addition, the bill, contemplating VAC's experience in working with agencies on voter registration,
gives VAC the latitude to develop guidelines and training programs that are tailored to the needs
of specific agencies.
Onefinalcomment on the bill's reporting requirements. Some may argue that collecting
and transmitting forms to the Board of Elections oh a bi-weekly basis or fonvarding the total
number of forms distributed to the public and the total number of forms collectedfromthe public
on a bi-monthly basis to VAC is cumbersome and labor intensive. I disagree. These requirements
mirror the NVRA and many other state statutes implementing NVRA requirements. New York
City agency personnel are not being required to do any more than any other state's municipal
employees. NVRA makes registering people to vote a national priority and the Pro-Voter Act
echos this priority by making voter registration in New York City a responsibility of city agencies
and the public servants who choose to work there.
During 1996 and 1997, in conjunction with the NYS Food Merchant Association and the
Board of Elections, my office conducted a "Shop and Vote" project where nearly 600
supermarkets and Barnes and Noble Book Stores throughout the city displayed flags, election
material and registration forms. At the end of the week-long project, 4,500 new voters were
registered. Groups like NYPIRG, Acorn, the League of Women Voters, Common Cause and
many others consistently conduct successful voter registration drives throughout the city.
However, this is not enough. It is clear that a statutorily mandated system of agency based voter
registration activities is necessary to increase the number of voters in New York City and to
ensure that the City does not lose its political clout.
Voting is a fundamentalright.Voting, access to voting and voter registration are not
about politics; they are about principle. By the way, someone really needs to convey this message
to out-going Attorney General Dennis Vacco, who called fbr a house to house investigation of
100,000 voters by the New York City Police Department. Fortunately, the court turned down his
request. This so-called investigation could have undermined the limited accomplishments ofthe
�Dec 18 '98
12:01
P.05
NVRA and amounted to a dangerous attack on the integrity of New York City voters in general
and people of color in particular. Our city needs more voter registration, more voting and more
political participation.. .not less. That is what the New York City Pro-Voter Act is all about.
In conclusion, I respectfully urge this Committee to act swiftly and send the bill to the full
Council for its enactment, and I look forward to working with you, the Mayor and the White
House to make thefirstTuesday of November "Democracy Day" - - a national holiday to both
celebrate our history as the world's oldest, continuing democracy and to better enable people to
find the time to vote that day.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Michael Waldman
Description
An account of the resource
<p>Michael Waldman was Assistant to the President and Director of Speechwriting from 1995-1999. His responsibilities were writing and editing nearly 2,000 speeches, which included four State of the Union speeches and two Inaugural Addresses. From 1993 -1995 he served as Special Assistant to the President for Policy Coordination.</p>
<p>The collection generally consists of copies of speeches and speech drafts, talking points, memoranda, background material, correspondence, reports, handwritten notes, articles, clippings, and presidential schedules. A large volume of this collection was for the State of the Union speeches. Many of the speech drafts are heavily annotated with additions or deletions. There are a lot of articles and clippings in this collection.</p>
<p>Due to the size of this collection it has been divided into two segments. Use links below for access to the individual segments:<br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=43&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2006-0469-F+Segment+1">Segment One</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=43&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2006-0469-F+Segment+2">Segment Two</a></p>
Creator
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Michael Waldman
Office of Speechwriting
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1993-1999
Identifier
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2006-0469-F
Extent
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Segment One contains 1071 folders in 72 boxes.
Segment Two contains 868 folders in 66 boxes.
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
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William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Format
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Adobe Acrobat Document
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Original Format
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paper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
[State of the Union 1999] Millennium: Democracy
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Office of Speechwriting
Michael Waldman
Is Part Of
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Box 52
<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/36403"> Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7763296">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
2006-0469-F Segment 1
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
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William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Format
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Adobe Acrobat Document
Medium
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Preservation-Reproduction-Reference
Date Created
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6/3/2015
Source
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7763296
42-t-7763296-20060469F-Seg1-052-017-2015