\nBy Carlotta Mohamed <\/em>
\nNovember 1, 2021<\/em><\/p>\n
During Domestic Violence Awareness month, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a new bill into law on Thursday, Oct. 28 to protect the confidentiality of domestic violence survivors\u2019 voter registration records for their safety.<\/p>\n
The legislation (A465A<\/a>\/S1555A<\/a>) will allow survivors to opt to have their voter records private by signing an affidavit that they are a survivor of domestic violence.<\/p>\n Assemblywoman Nily Rozic and state Senator Zellnor Myrie (D-Brooklyn) introduced the legislation in January.<\/p>\n Rozic applauded Hochul for signing the crucial legislation into law to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers.<\/p>\n \u201cNo survivor should have to give up their right to vote in order to protect themselves from abuse. This law will ensure that survivors of domestic violence have a fair and straightforward way to keep their voter registration details confidential enabling them to vote without fear,\u201d Rozic said.<\/p>\n According to Myrie, no New Yorker should have to choose between registering to vote and their personal safety.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m proud to have sponsored this legislation with AM Rozic that will protect the privacy of domestic violence survivors and ensure they can safely exercise their rights,\u201d Myrie said.<\/p>\n The legislation would continue to allow localities to verify a voter\u2019s information while protecting them from potentially exposing their place of residence to their abuser.\u00a0This change would mimic the language and threshold for entry used in section 11-306 of the election law which already allows a domestic violence survivor to submit a written statement swearing or affirming that they are a victim of domestic violence and need a special ballot.<\/p>\n The bill would streamline the election law and provide the same standard for both sections of the law.<\/p>\n Last year, Rozic authored a law that allows domestic violence survivors who receive an order of protection to be granted protection from abuse via Internet-connected smart devices that can be controlled from an app, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi are often used as tools for harassment, abuse and control.<\/p>\n They include security systems that can lock or unlock doors and windows, cameras, thermostats, sprinklers, voice-activated assistants and speakers, lights and more.<\/p>\n Local organizations such as Safe Horizon, Sanctuary for Families, the Korean American Family Service Center (KAFSC) and Shalom Task Force, thanked Rozic and Myrie for their leadership, and Hochul for her commitment to expanding voting access.<\/p>\n \u201cThe right to vote is one of our nation\u2019s most fundamental and powerful rights. For too many survivors of domestic violence, the fear of having their registration record made public prevents them from participating in our democracy and making their voices heard,\u201d said Jimmy Meagher, policy director at Safe Horizon. \u201cThis law will make it easier for survivors to keep their registration record confidential so they can access the ballot box while maintaining their safety.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeehae Fischer, executive director of\u00a0KAFSC<\/a>, said the passage of the law provides protections and empowers survivors on a path towards a life of health, dignity, and free from violence.<\/p>\n \u201cKAFSC applauds Assemblywoman Nily Rozic and Senator Zellnor Myrie in working to pass this important legislation ensuring survivors of gender-based violence have the protections they need to guarantee their safety and confidentiality while practicing their right to vote,\u201d Fischer said.<\/p>\n Hon. Judy Harris Kluger, executive director of\u00a0Sanctuary for Families<\/a>, said the lawmakers\u2019 legislation creates an avenue for survivors to safely exercise one of their most fundamental rights.<\/p>\n \u201cExperiencing domestic violence should not be a barrier to voting but for some survivors, the risk that an abusive partner may track them down through public voter records is too great,\u201d Kluger said.<\/p>\n Shoshannah Frydman, executive director of the\u00a0Shalom Task Force<\/a>, said that addressing confidentiality is critical to the safety of many of their clients in the most dangerous situations.<\/p>\n \u201cEasing the process to obtain confidentiality of their voter records, not only eases the logistical burden and stress on the victim-survivors but we are also sending a message that we believe them,\u201d Frydman said.<\/p>\n Read the original article here.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A new law will protect the confidentiality of domestic violence survivors\u2019 voter registration records, enabling them to vote without fear.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":{"id":9685,"alt_text":"Support children and families in domestic violence shelters","caption":"Peggy Duffy Memorial fund","description":"Support children and families in domestic violence shelters","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":512,"height":512,"file":"2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail.png","filesize":31715,"sizes":{"medium":{"file":"Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-300x300.png","width":300,"height":300,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":18595,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-300x300.png"},"thumbnail":{"file":"Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-150x150.png","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":8008,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-150x150.png"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}},"post":9684,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail.png"},"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[92,643,1337,1097,1099],"class_list":["post-9350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safe-horizon-in-the-news","tag-domestic-violence","tag-domestic-violence-awareness-month","tag-jimmy-meagher","tag-voting","tag-voting-in-domestic-violence-shelters","issue-domestic-violence"],"acf":{"page_header_title":"","title_font_size":"42","page_header_excerpt":"","sub-headline_placement":false,"page_header_image":false,"custom_scripts":false,"show_author_bio":false,"original_url":"","related_initiative_title":"Want to learn more about our efforts?","related_initiative_link":"\/emergency","related_initiative_link_text":"Visit our Emergency Page with Current Services","featured_posts":[{"ID":6502,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2018-11-05 15:16:41","post_date_gmt":"2018-11-05 15:16:41","post_content":"![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/How-Survivors-in-a-Domestic-Violence-Shelters-Vote-1024x681.jpg\")
\r\n\r\nBy Dana Rosenwasser\r\nNovember 5, 2018<\/em>\r\n\r\nVoting is a right for all Americans, and we are committed to ensuring residents of our shelters know their options, and to supporting them whether or not they choose to vote. For survivors like *Ruby and countless others like her, not having a permanent address is not a barrier to exercising their right to vote.\r\n\r\n*Ruby, a resident at one of our eight domestic violence shelters, is preparing to vote for the first time. \u201cI\u2019ve been motivated to vote mostly because of social media, my Facebook account gave reminders that October 12th<\/sup> was the last day to register to vote,\u201d<\/em> Ruby explains. \u201cI\u2019m working on career goals and as a young lady I realized that if I want to see change I have to do my part and voting is just one way to do that.<\/em>\u201d People who live in shelters often face barriers to voting. At Safe Horizon we support survivors in every capacity, including exercising their right to vote.\r\nHow Voting While Living in Shelter Works<\/h1>\r\nOne barrier survivors may face when living in shelter is that they often live in a different borough, or they may have safety concerns traveling back to the district where they previously voted. Thankfully, there are policies in New York State that help survivors in domestic violence shelters overcome these challenges and vote safely.\r\n\r\nAn address does not have to hold anyone back from registering to vote. According to Coalition for the Homeless<\/a>, people without a permanent address are able to vote. Nonprofit VOTE<\/a>, a nonprofit organization that provides nonpartisan resources, states that people who live in temporary housing can list a shelter address as their voting address or anywhere they can receive mail. Voter registration forms provide a space for this purpose.\r\n\r\nOn Election Day, survivors arriving at any polling site can ask for an affidavit or paper ballot. After Election Day, the Board of Elections will check its records, and the survivors\u2019 vote will be counted if they are eligible to vote. If not, they will receive a notice that they are not eligible, along with a registration application for future elections.\r\n\r\nPilar Lumpkin, a Supervising Social Worker at the shelter where Ruby lives, has been encouraging Ruby as well as other shelter residents to vote. \u201cI remind them that they have a voice,<\/em>\u201d she explains. \u201cIf they want to see change they have to be involved. They are the generation that will make the difference for future generations.<\/em>\u201d\r\n\r\n* Client names and identifying information have been changed to protect their privacy. Images used are representations of Safe Horizon\u2019s clients.<\/em>","post_title":"How Survivors in Domestic Violence Shelters Vote","post_excerpt":"Safe Horizon is committed to ensuring residents of our shelters know their options, and to supporting them whether or not they choose to vote. ","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-survivors-domestic-violence-shelter-vote","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-06-10 13:50:01","post_modified_gmt":"2025-06-10 17:50:01","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/?p=6502","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}]},"yoast_head":"\n