Attorney General Addresses Barriers To The Ballot Box By Offering Voters A Statewide Election Day Hotline
Schneiderman: I Am Committed To Protecting The Right Of All Eligible Voters To Participate In Our Electoral Process
NEW YORK –Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman will operate a statewide Election Day Hotline during the primary election this Thursday, September 10. Voters encountering barriers to access at their polling sites can report those issues to the Attorney General’s Office by calling the hotline at 800-771-7755, or by emailing the office at civil.rights@ag.ny.gov. The Hotline will be available from 6:00 A.M. until 9:00 P.M. on Election Day.
“The right to vote stands at the cornerstone of our democracy, and my office is committed to protecting the right of all eligible voters to participate fully and meaningfully in our electoral process," said Attorney General Schneiderman. “This hotline is part of our effort to ensure that all eligible New Yorkers have the ability to cast an effective ballot during Thursday’s election.”
In New York City and the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam and Erie, polls open at 6:00 A.M. and close at 9:00 P.M. In all other counties, polls open at 12:00 P.M. and close at 9:00 P.M.
The Attorney General’s Civil Rights Bureau has operated the statewide Election Day Hotline since November 2012. In that time the Bureau has fielded hundreds of calls and worked with dozens of Boards of Elections across the state to address barriers at polling sites throughout New York state, including reports pertaining to polling site accessibility for voters with disabilities, language accessibility for non-English speaking voters, voter intimidation and other ballot access issues.
The Attorney General’s Election Day Hotline is being led by Assistant Attorney General Ajay Saini of the Civil Rights Bureau, which is led by Bureau Chief Kristen Clarke. The Social Justice Division is led by Executive Deputy Attorney General Alvin Bragg.