In the final days of the 2022 election season, the Bronx branch of the NAACP continues asking senior female voters to lead Bronx voters away from what they say is a disempowering habit of partial ballot voting.

 

NAACP representatives say partial ballot voting is when voters do not vote in each race or on each proposal on the ballot. They say such partial ballot voting surrenders the voter’s power when it comes to deciding who will manage each level and branch of government.

 

According to the NAACP, the political industry routinely places senior female voters in the “prime voter” category. Biarni Burke, president of the Bronx branch of the NAACP, said, “Senior female voters are our most reliable voters, and we respectfully need them to lead us to more full ballot voting, which will lead to greater political accountability, and a reduction in the borough’s chronic social and economic inequities.”

 

NAACP representatives said that while there is occasional public comment about Bronx residents underutilizing their voting power due to persistent low voter turnout, Bronx voters are doubly disempowered by not voting in each race on their ballots. They added that since partial ballot voting is almost never discussed beyond political campaign professionals, the Bronx branch of the NAACP has made full ballot voting a key component of its “smart voting workshop” and “voter empowerment campaign.”

 

The organization’s “vote full ballot campaign” focuses on convincing all eligible voters that there are no unimportant races on their ballots. Burke added, “We are also alerting our clergy, civic and community partners of the crucial need to get our most likely voters, meaning our senior female voters, to ‘vote full ballot’ in the 2022 general election.”

 

NAACP representatives said their efforts in this regard are being helped by the sharing of the popular “Take Your Souls To The Polls & Vote Full Ballot” flyers with their network of voters.

☑️ REMINDER: Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 8, 2022, is #ElectionDay in NYC. Students do not attend school. pic.twitter.com/W0MIbXrk8K

— NYC Public Schools (@NYCSchools) November 7, 2022

They added that a number of political pundits have speculated that voters will widely ignore many of the races and proposals on the November ballot, adding that voters have been cultivated to focus on popular candidates or races.

 

They gave the example of judges who are elected to 10-year and 14-year terms respectively, and who, nonetheless, are routinely overlooked on the ballot by voters. “Understanding that reversing this type of voter behavior will not happen in one election, the Bronx Branch NAACP plans to pursue ‘Full Ballot Voting’ goals and objectives among all groups of Bronx voters for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 election seasons,” NAACP representatives said.

 

Ahead of the 2021 city council elections, last year, Norwood News reported on general findings by the NAACP on Bronx voter turn-out.

 

Meanwhile, more recently, we reported on how the New York City Bar Association rated judicial candidates for election to New York Civil and Supreme Courts.

 

As also reported, voters are being reminded to “flip their ballot,” and learn about the 2022 ballot proposals that will affect New York on both statewide and citywide levels. Learn more about each proposal here.

 

NY Racial Justice Commission is encouraging voters to vote “Yes” on all four proposals. The commission is holding a day of action on Election Day to bring awareness to the three racial justice ballot questions appearing on the ballot in today’s election, and will be distributing information on the proposals in various languages.

 

The group will be located at over 40 locations citywide, including in The Bronx in front of Bronx County Supreme Court, located at 851 Grand Concourse at E. 161st St. between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Racial justice commissioner, Jennifer Jones Austin, and Racial Justice Commission executive director, Harold Miller, will attend at 12:30 p.m.

 

NYC’s Racial Justice Commission (RJC) is a charter revision commission established in 2021, tasked with examining structural racism within New York City government. The commission examined the City Charter to identify structural barriers facing all people of color and developed ballot proposals aimed at reducing barriers and promoting racial equity.

In November 2022, NYC voters have the opportunity to vote “Yes” or “No” on these proposals.  As part of its public information and education campaign, RJC has partnered with elected and appointed officials across the city to inform voters about the initiatives on the ballot and encourage voter turnout. For more information, the public can visit nyc.gov/racialjustice.

 

Election Day is Nov. 8. Check your polling site before you go to vote.