Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez launches Project Reactivation in New York

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has initiated ‘Project Reactivation,’ a campaign aimed at identifying and re-engaging voters in New York who have been classified as ‘inactive.’ In New York City alone, the campaign is targeting as many as 80,000 inactive voters to prevent them from being purged from voter rolls.

A voter’s status typically changes to inactive if they fail to vote in two successive federal elections or do not respond to address change notices from the Board of Elections. While inactive status does not prevent a person from voting at the polls, missing two consecutive federal elections can lead to removal from the registry, requiring the individual to re-register.

Ocasio-Cortez has noted that the definitions of inactive status can be inconsistent across different counties. The campaign specifically focuses on populations she believes are at risk of neglect, including working-class communities and college students who may become inactive if they fail to update their addresses while attending school away from home.