Ensuring Fair Elections and Encouraging Voter Participation
10.22.2026
New York State Bar Association President Taa Grays issued the following statement in advance of the midterm elections:
Safeguarding Democracy Starts With Us
Democracy does not sustain itself. It is sustained by citizens who show up, by institutions that hold, and by people who understand how self-government works well enough to insist that it keep working. Lawyers stand at the center of that effort. We know what the rule of law protects, and we know what happens when people stop believing in it.
This election season, I am asking every member of our Association to act on that knowledge: vote, encourage others to vote, help voters who need it, and join us in preparing the next generation to carry this work forward.
The success of our democracy rests on the participation of its people. This is a call that every lawyer, regardless of political affiliation, can answer.
Vote, and Make Sure Others Do Too
I am asking all 55,000 members of the New York State Bar Association to encourage everyone in their lives to vote: clients, colleagues, neighbors, family and friends. Use your websites, newsletters and social media to remind people of the key dates:
· Early in-person voting runs from Saturday, Oct. 24 through Sunday, Nov. 1.
· Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
· If you are voting by mail, request your ballot by Oct. 24 and return it as early as possible. Don’t wait until the deadline.
Lend Your Skills
Some voters will face confusion, obstacles or outright challenges to their right to cast a ballot. Lawyers can help. The Association’s Election Resource Center lists voting information and pro bono opportunities where your training can make a direct difference. Even a few hours of service matters.
Sustain the Conversation for the Next Generation
“Democracy is a sustained and perpetual conversation among our citizens about how best to govern,” observed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Justice O’Connor, who founded iCivics, understood that this conversation must be taught. It does not happen on its own.
Voting is how we speak about what kind of government we want. Civic education is how we sustain it for the next generation. That is why I am dedicating my Presidential Summit at our Annual Conference to this work: To Safeguard Democracy and the Rule of Law: What Lawyers Need to Know About Educating the Next Generation. The Convocation will focus attention on foundational constitutional issues and the need to have civil discourse. The summit will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 20, from 12:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the New York Hilton Midtown. I hope you will join us.
Our oath binds us to the Constitution. Let’s uphold our oath in the most basic way a citizen can, and then help make sure the next generation understands why it matters.
