City officials and immigrant advocates stress the importance of the immigrant vote

Rini Fonseca-Sabune, chief democracy officer with the City of New York, pointed out gaps in Early Voting sites across Queens. Eagle photos by Jonathan Sperling.

By Jonathan Sperling

With Election Day less than a month away, city officials and immigrant advocates have begun championing the city’s latest democratic initiative: early voting, which begins Oct. 26. 

The opportunity to vote days ahead of the election could prove especially important for immigrants in Queens and citywide, advocates say. 

Representatives from Make the Road New York, Adhikaar, DemocracyNYC and the Civic Engagement Commission hosted a roundtable discussion Thursday at Make The Road’s Jackson Heights headquarters. 

“There’s a lot of power in the immigrant vote. We’ve seen the immigrant vote decide elections,” said Theo Oshiro, deputy director of Make The Road.

The event highlighted the specific dates of early voting — Oct. 26 to Nov. 3 — and the date of the actual Election Day, Nov. 5. 

Theo Oshiro, deputy director of Make The Road stressed the importance of the immigrant vote.

Immigrants’ rights advocates also discussed challenges related to Early Voting, which include a lack of early voting sites created by the Board of Elections — 61 — and the geographic gaps in their locations.

Rini Fonseca-Sabune, chief democracy officer with the City of New York, also stressed the importance of Early Voting, encouraging voters to visit voting.nyc for information on their Early Voting site and Election Day polling place, which can often differ. Language access and interpretation services are crucial to make Early Voting a success, Fonseca-Sabune said.

“Limited English proficiency should not be a barrier to voting,” she added.

Whether you vote early between Oct. 26 and Nov. 3 or vote on Election Day Nov. 5, there’s an important election happening in your area. New Yorkers will go to the polls to vote for public advocate, Queens district attorney, various judicial positions and a councilmember in Brooklyn’s 45th City Council District, as well as on five ballot referendums to amend the City Charter.

Visit voting.nyc to learn more about your rights as a voter, your polling location and to learn more about candidates.