Friedman Kaplan Files Amicus Brief on Behalf of Leadership Now in Support of New York's Early Mail Voter Act
In March 2024, Friedman Kaplan filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Leadership Now Project, a bipartisan organization of business leaders taking action to protect and promote American democracy. The brief advocates in favor of the New York Early Mail Voter Act, which allows all New York voters to cast ballots by mail during the early voting period. Representative Elise Stefanik and others challenged the constitutionality of the Act.
The brief explains that early mail voting is beneficial to our democracy, highlighting academic research that shows universal mail voting increases voter participation among groups previously underrepresented at the polls. It further explains how mail-in voting is especially valuable for voters with uncertain or changing work shifts, family and care obligations, and transportation and mobility limitations. The brief also cites an assessment by the Department of Homeland Security that identified major concerns of threats and violence during election periods, arguing that voting by mail makes it safer for voters to cast their ballots. The brief states that “a stable democracy,” one in which citizens can regularly participate in elections, “is necessary for economic development and innovation.”
On August 20, 2024, the Court of Appeals upheld the Act, which will permit 13 million New Yorkers to be eligible for early mail-in voting for all elections.
Our Friedman Kaplan team included partners Larry Robbins, Kate Pringle, and Priyanka Wityk, associate Jasmine Rasheed, and paralegal Rumana Khan.