Gov. Cuomo’s plan to boost voter registration in New York is meeting resistance from city lawmakers who fear it will reduce the Big Apple’s political clout, the Daily News has learned. Cuomo’s plan — which calls for drivers to be automatically registered to vote when they obtain or renew a driver’s license — could spur big registration numbers in the motorist-rich suburbs and upstate but do relatively little for the city, which has fewer drivers, lawmakers said. “That is problematic from the prospective of cities versus suburbs and rural areas where people are more likely to drive,” said Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh (D-Manhattan). “Over time, it is likely to skew the electorate in ways that are not desirable or fair.”
Assembly Elections Committee Chair Michael Cusick (D-Staten Island) said his committee is concerned about the proposal’s potential impact on the city and is studying it.
Drivers account for roughly 54% of the city’s adult population compared to 94% of the adult population in the suburbs around New York City, according to census data and state DMV statistics compiled by the New York Public Interest Research Group.
Full Article: NYC pols oppose Cuomo’s plan to boost voter registration – NY Daily News.