Early voting in New York started on Saturday, launching a final sprint from local organizations to boost turnout and engage voters.
New York’s 19th Congressional District is highly competitive, with Cook Political Report rating the district as a “toss-up” in the 2024 election.
With these high stakes, local organizations are ramping up outreach to inform voters about key candidates and ballot measures at both the local and national levels.
League of Women Voters of Tompkins County
Founded in 1920 after women gained the right to vote, the League of Women Voters of Tompkins County is a nonpartisan organization that registers and educates voters on national, state and local elections and issues.
The national LWV services VOTE411, a guide that informs voters on which elections are being held within their specific districts based on their home addresses. The guide also provides information on each candidate’s background and policy stance and about other voter initiatives that will be on the ballot.
Sally Grubb, the co-president and chair of the voter services committee of the LWV of Tompkins County said that being strategic in talking to community members is important when engaging in voter outreach.
“[When] you’re talking to people with small kids, you’re talking to a different generation who’ve got different issues than say, as a senior, that I have,” Grubb said. “They’re more interested in educational issues. So you have to approach them on that basis to say, ‘Are you ready to vote? Are you going to vote? Can we give you information about what’s going on?’”
Grubb emphasized the importance of individual participation, underscoring that every vote counts.
“One vote can elect somebody, and not voting means you’re not either supporting that person or helping prevent him or her getting elected,” Grubb said. “Opting out is really not the answer.”
Rejoice the Vote
Aiming to transform voting into a joyful celebration, Rejoice the Vote is a nonprofit nonpartisan organization based in Tompkins County, “honoring the history of the struggle for voting rights, celebrating voting in the present and challenging the future to strengthen the democratic foundations.”
This year marks the second time Rejoice the Vote is hosting the Votingest County Challenge, awarding a trophy to counties with the highest voter participation in New York. In 2020, the challenge focused on cities, with Albany winning among larger cities and Saratoga Springs leading smaller ones. The competition has since shifted to a county-based format to include all voters, not just those in urban areas. Additionally, since voter turnout is calculated at the county level, the format would simplify the calculation process.
Jeff Furman, founder of Rejoice the Vote, elaborated on how the challenge rewards voter participation.
“We will give an award to a large county and a small county of who gets the highest percentage of eligible voters to actually vote,” Furman said. “We’ll wait for the [voter turnout] numbers and then do the calculation in each of the 62 counties in New York State.”
Rejoice the Vote also celebrates youth activism through both art and film to inspire voter participation. One of its national initiatives includes an art contest celebrating youth advocates for voting rights.
Furman highlighted how storytelling through film also amplifies youth voices.
“We have done [a] film with local filmmakers here around what young people around the country are doing,” Furman said. “[The fundraising] came through Rejoice the Vote, and they [put] the film together. [It’s] about an eight-minute film called Youth to Power. So it’s just honoring young people doing work.”
Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Action Fund
The Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Action Fund is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to building political power around Planned Parenthood’s legislative priorities and advancing reproductive rights and healthcare.
Caitlin Hunter, the community organizer for Ithaca, said the organization’s goal in this election cycle is to educate and engage New Yorkers on Proposal 1, also called the Equal Rights Amendment.
Proposal 1 is one of six ballot measures New Yorkers will vote on, alongside races for the presidency, Senate, State Legislature and Congress.
If passed, it will guarantee “equal protection” against discrimination based on “sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes and reproductive healthcare and autonomy,” in addition to traits that have been protected under past laws, such as race, ethnicity and national origin.
Hunter urged voters to flip their ballots over to ensure they do not miss these critical ballot measures.
“We have these protections as laws, but at any point, a government official could come into the legislature or an office and remove those laws,” Hunter explained. “By passing Prop 1, by having New Yorkers vote yes, we are embedding these protections in our Constitution, ensuring the power stays with the people, not politicians.”
Hunter said that Ithaca voters are often short-term residents of the city, so being involved in the community is the most effective way to engage and educate the local electorate on their registration status and local issues like Prop 1.
Hunter has high hopes for the passage of Proposal 1, citing the overall positive responses that she has received from voters and the high political engagement of the city.
Tompkins County Democratic Committee
With a week left until Election Day, the Tompkins County Democratic Committee is ramping up voter outreach efforts across the country with the coordinated campaigns of Josh Riley in the NY-19 Congressional Race, Lea Webb for State Senate and Anna Kelles for State Assembly.
Linda Hoffman, the chair of TCDC, said that canvassing and phone and text banking are essential tools for informing registered voters and helping undecided voters make their choices.
Last week, the Tompkins County Democratic Committee knocked on 22,000 doors to make sure people have a plan to vote, according to Hoffman. While canvassing, they bring information about Riley, Webb and Kelles and about Proposition 1.
In this final stage of the election cycle, Hoffman said the main challenge is to make sure people are informed about polling locations and times.
“It is essential that each voter really put a plan together as to when they are going to vote. To do that is checking also with the Tompkins County Board of Elections.”
The TCDC encourages early voting and offers free transportation for Cornell students to polling sites to make voting more accessible. Students and locals can also request a ride or volunteer to be a driver by calling the campaign headquarters at 607-319-0327.
City of Ithaca Republican Committee and Tompkins County Republicans
Both the City of Ithaca Republican Committee and the Tompkins County Republicans did not respond to multiple requests for comment regarding their voter engagement efforts.
How to Vote
Early voting in New York runs from Oct. 26 to Nov. 3. Anyone who is registered as a Tompkins County voter and wishes to vote early can do so at Ithaca Town Hall at 215 N. Tioga St. or Crash Fire Rescue at 72 Brown Rd. Opening hours for each day of early voting can be found on Tompkins County’s early voting webpage.
Election Day is on Tuesday, Nov. 5, and polling locations will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. A list of all polling places is available at the Tompkins County Board of Elections. Robert Purcell Community Center will be the only polling place on campus.