U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) discussed her "Project Reactivation" before an audience at All Saints Church in Syracuse on Monday.
The lawmaker — known as AOC — wants to increase voter turnout at the polls this November.
The effort, called "Project Reactivation," is aimed at roughly 100,000 inactive registered Democrats across New York. Ocasio-Cortez said the campaign seeks to both get the voters back to the polls and address why some stopped taking part in the first place.
Her staff conducted a data analysis of the entire state and identified thousands of inactive registered Democrats that are at risk of having their registration purged from the polls. Those getting involved in the project will call them, send them a letter, and perhaps even pay them a visit.
"They're going to get a knock on their door and what we're going to ask them to do is to protect their voter-registration status because all you need to do to get out of that risk of being purged is to vote just once," the New York City Democrat said in her remarks.
She also told those at All Saints Church that there's an easy way to remedy the problem.
"If they show up to the polls and they cast a vote in November, their voter registration will be reactivated and then they will be protected from here forward ... and once you build that habit of voting once then that person may start voting again ... and again," Ocasio-Cortez said.
Those considered inactive can also update their voter registration by Oct. 24, Ocasio-Cortez's staff said.
The analysis found about 100,000 inactive registered Democrats statewide, including about 6,000 in Onondaga County, particularly on the south and east sides of Syracuse.
The presentation by Ocasio-Cortez's staff included a definition of who are considered inactive registered Democrats. They are voters who have not voted in two consecutive federal elections since 2020 and those voters who did not respond to a letter from the board of elections regarding an address change.
The campaign will reach out to those targeted in different ways. It'll send letters and make phone calls to confirm voters still live in the area. Text message and door-to-door canvassing will follow as Election Day draws near.
Ocasio-Cortez said the campaign previously tested the approach in her congressional district and was able to activate about 30 percent of the voters it targeted. They are now expanding the strategy statewide.
Prior to her stop in Syracuse, Ocasio-Cortez had visited Ithaca on Sunday with her "Students vs. Billionaires" event at the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center, which was meant primarily for students at both Cornell University and Ithaca College. She also visited Buffalo last week.
The Democrat, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, has been touring the country to boost support for candidates to help Democrats regain control of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
This November's election will include races that match the incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul against Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman and incumbent Congressman John Mannion facing a challenge from Republican Kailee Buller.
