Appealing to his left flank, Gov. Cuomo announced Wednesday that he’s signed an executive order to give convicted felons on parole the right to vote.
“In this state, when you’re released from prison and you’re on parole, you still don’t have the right to vote,” Cuomo said at the National Action Network’s conference in midtown.
“Now how can that be? You did your time. You paid your debt. You’re released, but you still don’t have a right to vote.”
The order will cover more than 36,000 parolees statewide.
More than half — 54 percent — live in New York City, according to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
The governor, a Democrat who faces a primary challenge from actress Cynthia Nixon, said his administrative action was necessary because the Republican-led state Senate has refused to pass a law to restore voting rights to parolees who’ve served their time.
Under current state law, parolees can’t vote until they’re off supervision.
Cuomo has come under fire from Nixon and progressive critics for not doing enough to help Democrats win control of the Senate.
The governor, who spoke after Mayor de Blasio left the event at the Sheraton New York, took indirect shots at Hizzoner.
He accused the New York City Housing Authority of managing “slums” and “cement reservations,” a term used by Martin Luther King to describe public housing in Chicago.
Cuomo also likened the conditions of Rikers Island to “Robben Island” – the infamous prison in South Africa where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years.