90% of Democratic Primary Voters Want Candidates to Support Reform
NEW YORK – New polling released today shows that New York Democratic primary voters prioritize and are more likely to vote for candidates that support bold pretrial reforms to reduce New York’s jail population. Democratic primary voters are looking for candidates that support ambitious pretrial reform policies that keep people at home while they wait for their trials, shorten case processing times, and prevent people accused of crimes from taking plea deals before evidence is shared with them.
“As momentum for better, fairer pretrial practices builds, bold pretrial reform has emerged as a top-of-mind issue for Democratic primary voters in New York,” said FWD.us President Todd Schulte. “This poll makes it absolutely clear not only that many New Yorkers overwhelmingly support candidates who want to dramatically reduce the numbers of New Yorkers in jail pretrial and who want to end the practice of incarcerating people simply because they cannot afford bail, but they truly expect Democratic elected officials to commit to bold pretrial criminal justice reforms as a top priority.”
Nearly 90 percent of Democratic primary voters believe that it’s important for candidates to support reducing the number of people held in jail before their trial. The polling also showed that a commanding majority – 70 percent – of voters are more likely to vote for a State Senate or Assembly candidate who supports each of these policies, including 42 percent who noted that they are “much” more likely.
The will of New York’s voters continues to be clear. This polling, released just seven days before the primary elections, corroborates polling from earlier this year that proves strong support for pretrial reforms across party and geography.
Momentum for pretrial reform has been steadily building throughout 2018, both in New York and across the country. As the Daily News editorialized earlier this week, the cost of New York’s broken pretrial system is disproportionately borne by black, Latino, and poor New Yorkers who are forced to await their trial in jail simply because they cannot afford to pay their bail.
Now more than ever, New Yorkers are ready for bold and meaningful reforms that will reduce the number of New Yorkers held in jail before their trials and end the practice of wealth based detention.