Published reports show that the American intelligence community is in complete agreement that Russia acted to sway the outcome of the 2016 election and that there is growing evidence of unexplained and and unusual contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives. In this circumstance, it is fair to ask whether investigations led by the chairs of the House and Senate intelligence committees who cooperated with a White House request to dispel press reports can be trusted to be unbiased arbiters.

The proposed resolution calls for the passage of legislation appointing a special prosecutor and establishing an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate this existential threat to our representative form of government posed by Russian interference in our elections.  It further calls upon the elected representatives for the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island to take a leading role in advocating for the passage of this legislation.

New York Election Reform

New York State ranked 41st in voter turnout in 2016. While many factors may contribute to this low turnout, New York's archaic election laws appear to be a part of the problem. New York State held four Democratic primary elections for state, local, and federal office in 2016. New York is one of only twenty states that does not allow either early voting or the use of a mail-in ballot without an excuse.

The proposed resolution supports the passage of the New York Votes Act (A05312) in the New York State legislature, or of a similar bill that provides for more voting options and a consolidated voting calendar that is convenient for voters. The resolution further commits the Club to work with our elected representatives to see that the Act is passed during this legislative session and take all other appropriate measures to advocate for the Act, whether during the current or any future legislative session.