NY17 Candidate Adam Schleifer Hosts Town Hall on Voting Rights

Adam Schleifer is running for Congress to serve the people of Rockland County and northern & central Westchester County.

On Thursday evening, Adam hosted the latest of his weekly policy-focused virtual town halls to discuss to discuss his recently unveiled plan to expand voter participation and ensure our election integrity that he will enact once elected to Congress: The Voting Rights Act of 2021.

If elected to Congress, Schleifer’s legislation will include policies designed to boost voter participation, including a refundable tax credit of $50, making Election Day a national holiday, and expanding absentee and early voting across the United States. Further, he calls for the end of the electoral college as a means of electing future U.S. presidents; supports state-by-state independent redistricting commissions to draw state and congressional boundaries; and, calls for overturning Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission through a constitutional amendment.

Adam was joined by guest co-hosts and local leaders to discuss the obstacles facing residents of Rockland and Westchester to getting to the ballot box.

Co-hosts included for Thursday evenings event include:

• Anthony Wynne, Vice Chair of the Hudson Valley Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union; and
• Ted Schillinger, Journalist and resident of Rivertowns.

Schleifer’s plan to increase voter participation comes at a critical time. Over the last decade, the United States has seen right-wing politicians undermine elections through deliberately purged voter rolls, restrictive voter ID laws aimed at minorities and low-income voters, and the appointment of right-wing judges who condone voter suppression. Schleifer’s plan strengthens democracy by making voting easier while also ensuring the integrity of our elections. As a congressman, Schleifer would propose a voting tax credit of $50 to incentivize voting and address the economic burden it often places on the working class. He is the only candidate in the race thus far to publicly endorse a voting tax credit. In 2018, 53 percent of the eligible voting population cast a ballot in the midterm elections, a record in recent history but still far behind voting rates in other advanced democracies. Such a tax credit would boost turnout in U.S. elections, while also keeping voters from having to make a choice between going to the polls and suffering a loss of income.

Adam hosts two regular town hall series per week on Thursdays at 6pm and Sundays at 2pm. All town halls are able to be streamed on Facebook Live.