The Colin-oscopy: An Examination of Colin Schmitt’s Record
In keeping with this month’s voting rights theme, we look at Colin Schmitt’s votes on voting. Since 2019, as the Assembly’s leader in voter suppression, Colin has consistently voted against bills which make voter registration more accessible and the process of voting safer and easier.
Colin voted no on each of these key bills:
A120 clarifies a court’s ability to take sworn testimony from a voter about the authenticity of his or her own signature.
A774 authorizes pre-registration for individuals at least 16 years of age and required the adoption of policies to encourage student voter registration.
A775 requires that the Board of Elections transfer the registration and enrollment of a voter who has moved to their new residence within New York State.
A779 consolidates primary election dates and ensures the timely transmission of ballots to military voters stationed overseas.
A780 extends the voter registration cutoff date.
A10807 allows local Boards of Election to expand the timeframe for voters to submit absentee ballots. Colin was the ONLY “no” vote, ensuring his place as the legislature’s leader in voter suppression.
A8280/S8806 is a comprehensive automatic voter registration bill ensuring that all New Yorkers are registered to vote. Schmit's comments about the bill’s lack of safeguards followed the false Republican narrative that more voters means more fraud.
There is also Colin’s “No” vote on the budget that included funds for early voting, electronic poll books, and online voter registration.
No bill that ensures greater access to the polls can ever be a danger to any democratic process. Restricting the vote is characteristic of autocracies. Any politician with a vested interest in suppressing the vote of the people they govern should not be governing those people in the first place.
Fortunately, all of these bills passed despite Colin’s efforts to ensure otherwise. Another example of his ineffectiveness in Albany.