Urgent this week: Advocate to New York State Legislature
About the job
Title: New York Legislature Advocate
Reports to: SMART Legislation, Executive Director
Leads & Collaborates with: SMART Legislation Action Team
Send Email with reason you’d like to join our team & resume to: SMARTlegislation@gmail.com
Urgent Need for Advocate to Come On Board This Week
Due to the budget being delayed more than 6 weeks, there is a scramble in the legislature now to get all legislative business done in 1 week.
We would like someone on the ground in Albany to help us rise above the noise and make the point that our top priority piece of legislation is a critical, must-pass bill. It will ensure that New York voters do not lose the option of using hand-marked paper ballots - the system currently in use and that experts recommend.
Due to outdated election statutes, counties have started purchasing touchscreen voting machines that are much more expensive than hand-marked paper ballots. Those touchscreen voting machines contribute to long lines and cannot be audited meaningfully.
Location: New York State, preferably Albany
Salary: $25/hour, approximately 30 hours this week
Diverse Applicants Welcome
Commitment: 1 week, or until legislative session ends (currently 6/4)
Background: SMART Legislation is the Action Arm of SMART Elections, a non-partisan, organization dedicated to transforming U.S. elections by expanding public oversight, improving security, and advocating for fair, accessible voting. Our mission is to ensure that elections are secure, fair, and inspire public confidence. We are strengthening democracy and addressing critical social issues by inspiring tens of thousands to get more deeply involved in our elections.
(This position is with SMART Legislation, although it's being advertised on the SMART Elections LinkedIn page)
SMART Legislation is focused on passing our top priority legislation through the legislature before the session ends on June 4th, 2026 (this week).
Our priority legislation is called VIVA NY - The Voting Integrity and Verification Act of New York A6287 (Cunningham)/ S7116 (Cleare)
- It’s a simple bill that requires hand-marked paper ballots and nontabulating ballot-marking devices be used in all polling places.
- Bans votes from being encoded in barcodes.
- Uses some language from the Freedom to Vote Act
- The Bill has 33 co-sponsors in the Assembly
- The bill is currently on the floor calendar to pass in the NY Senate
Position Summary: This is a critically important moment in a 6-year effort to pass legislation to protect New York voters from predatory voting machine vendors who are selling voting systems that experts say are risky and overpriced. We're seeking someone who can help push this bill across the finish line in both chambers.
If you are someone with strong connections in the New York legislature, especially in the New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s office, and the office of Election Law Chair Latrice Walker, we would like to work with you.
We are seeking someone who understands the way Albany works and has the ability to open doors and get things done.
Breakdown of Tasks for SMART Legislation Advocate
- Lead a campaign to move VIVA NY through the Election Law or the Rules Committee, and through passage in the NY Assembly
- Lead a campaign to move VIVA NY from the floor calendar, where it has been sitting for weeks, to passage in the NY Senate
- Advise on our Social Media campaign that is underway
- Advise on any call-in rallies that could help
- Activate donors that could be allies
- Activate current allies (The bill has memos of support from over 30 organizations, including:
Affiliated Brookhaven Civic Organization
Bethlehem Morning Voice Huddle
Blac (from the Black Institute)
CCoHOPE Indivisible
Center for Common Ground
Center for Law & Social Justice
Citizens for Voting Integrity New York
Common Cause
Common Power
Concerned Families of Westchester
Downtown Nasty Women Social Group
Dutchess County Progressive Action Alliance
Forest Hills Green Team
Former New York State Election Commissioner Douglas Kellner
Justice Coalition USA
Let NY Vote
Markers for Democracy
NAACP
National Voting Rights Task Force
New York Democratic Lawyers Council
New York Progressive Action Network (NYPAN)
NYPAN of the Southern Finger Lakes
NYPAN Greene
OSET – Open Source Election Technology Institute, Inc.
Project Civica
Public Citizen
Reinvent Albany
Sierra Club (NY State Chapter, called the Atlantic Chapter)
SMART Legislation
Team Min
U-Act (Ulster County Activists)
UU
Vote Early New York
Village Independent Democrats
Desired Skillset:
- Connections with New York legislative leadership, especially those in the majority
- Connections with media outlets
- Ability to help move legislation through committee and onto the floor for a vote
- Help us organize and connect with allies
- Advise on social media campaigns
- Advise on call-in campaigns
- Good communicator who stays in touch
- Highly-organized & efficient
- Able to work with limited resources of a nonprofit
- Adapt well in changing and start-up environment (flexible)
Qualifications/Requirements
- Experience getting legislation passed
- Live in Albany, New York, or able to get to Albany easily
- Polite, respectful communicator with the team
- Diverse applicants welcome
Thank you for your interest.
Google doc listing for job
https://docs.google.com/document/d/18MHa7LiJSKY7jLWZvft7sdzOHdG6vOPs9JVNLMiwjVk/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.ovsj1623nh0k
Or email us at SMARTlegislation@gmail .com
