Opinion: New York must lead the fight for democracy in 2025. Here’s how we do it.

As President Donald Trump’s administration ramps up its attacks on hard-won freedoms, New York leaders face a critical choice: Will we allow assaults on our democracy to undermine our voting system, particularly for communities of color? Or will we take bold, decisive action to protect and expand the right to vote for all New Yorkers?

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Trump has already rolled back President Joe Biden’s executive order on voting rights, signaling that more aggressive moves are coming. The administration won’t stop there.

Fortunately, New York has a playbook to defend democracy – if we have the will to use it. Rather than sitting back and allowing Trump to attack our voting rights, we can act now to defend voting rights for eligible New Yorkers in detention, expand voter access through enhanced automatic voter registration and fully fund our election systems to empower every eligible voter in our state.

Protecting voting rights for detained New Yorkers

The right to vote does not disappear simply because someone is detained pretrial or convicted of a misdemeanor. Yet, New York’s current system makes it nearly impossible for these eligible individuals to exercise their fundamental rights – an injustice that has stained our democracy for decades. The Democracy During Detention Act (S440/A2121) would correct this by establishing the infrastructure needed to facilitate voting for eligible detainees.

This issue is urgent. With Trump’s promise of mass deportations, thousands of eligible New Yorkers – primarily Black and brown New Yorkers – could be mistakenly detained and effectively stripped of their voting rights. Even now, detained people struggle to exercise their rights, and the threat of mass detentions only amplifies the need for immediate action.  With the looming threat of detention ensnaring thousands of New Yorkers, we must now ensure that eligible detained New Yorkers retain their right to vote.

Expanding voter access with enhanced automatic voter registration

While we address current threats, we must also prepare for the long-term fight to preserve democracy. The most effective step we can take is to expand the electorate, and make sure that as many New Yorkers as possible are enfranchised and given the power of the ballot. The Enhanced Automatic Voter Registration bill (S88) would bring more than 2 million eligible but unregistered voters into our democracy – voters who are disproportionately low-income people of color.

The bill would work by automatically registering eligible voters during interactions with key state agencies, including the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Health and public assistance offices. Importantly, the bill would improve election security by using automated verification to prevent errors that could inadvertently register ineligible individuals. It also helps keep voters registered when they move, which is crucial in a state where rising housing costs force many New Yorkers to relocate – particularly Black and brown New Yorkers facing gentrification and at risk of having their registration status not being updated.

Funding election systems to empower voters

Legislation alone isn’t enough; we need to put our money where our mouths are. New York has historically ranked near the bottom for voter participation, and our reforms won’t reach their full potential without robust voter education and outreach. That’s why the state must allocate at least $10.8 million in the upcoming budget to ensure that government agencies – including SUNY, the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, and the New York City Housing Authority – have the resources needed to inform New Yorkers of their rights and assist them in registering to vote.

These funds would directly support outreach to marginalized communities, low-income residents and students, helping bridge the gap between voter eligibility and actual voter participation.

New York must set the standard

With the potential for a hostile administration that is eroding rights at a breakneck pace, New York must take the lead. By passing Enhanced Automatic Voter Registration, enacting the Democracy During Detention Act and providing critical funding for voter outreach, we can protect and bring the power of the ballot to millions of New Yorkers.

We cannot afford to be complacent. New York has a responsibility to set the standard and ensure that every eligible voter – regardless of income, race or even incarceration status – can make their voice heard. Now is the time to act.

Latrice Walker represents Assembly District 55 in Brooklyn and chairs the Assembly Election Law Committee. Karines Reyes represents Assembly District 87 in the Bronx.