Karen Wharton is the Democracy Coalition Coordinator for Citizen Action of New York, leading the organization’s democracy campaigns. As the Fair Elections Coalition facilitator, her leadership was instrumental in the successful advocacy for funding and implementation of New York’s Public Campaign Finance Program, which was used for the first time in the June 2024 primary elections.
Why are you voting this year?
Voting is my superpower, my voice! I am voting to ensure my community gets the resources it needs to live safely and thrive.
What changes do you want to see in your community?
I want my community to be physically and emotionally safe. That means reducing physical and verbal attacks against the community, keeping the air and water clean and safe for consumption, housing people humanely and affordably, and improving the schools’ ability to educate the next generation properly. And everyone should earn a livable wage.
How do you feel about this year’s election and what’s on the ballot?
I feel good.
What would you say to change the mind of someone who doesn’t plan to vote?
Voting is our superpower to create positive change for our community and determine a better quality of life for us—seismic change would occur if 100% of us voted. The power to create change is in our hands when we hold that ballot. So, let’s use our vote to ask for what we want.
What’s your voting plan?
In my living room.
On Election Day, where do you plan to watch the election results?
With community.
About Karen:
Karen Wharton is the Democracy Coalition Coordinator for Citizen Action of New York, leading the organization’s democracy campaigns. As the Fair Elections Coalition facilitator, her leadership was instrumental in the successful advocacy for funding and implementation of New York’s Public Campaign Finance Program, which was used for the first time in the June 2024 primary elections. Her OpEds on public campaign financing have been published in the Daily News, Buffalo News, Gotham Gazette, Newsday, and the Bronx Times. She has also shared her expertise on public campaign financing, ranked-choice voting, voting expansion, and other democracy issues with local, state, and national organizations, including the NY Working Families Party, NYS Democratic Rural Conference, Eleanor’s Legacy, and Demos Inclusive Democracy Project.
Karen is dedicated to diversity and equity, creating and leading the NY BIPOC Democracy Table guided by universal suffrage. As an active board member of the League of Women Voters NYC, where she serves on its DEI and Voter Services committees, Karen provides nonpartisan information to communities on empowerment through voting, lobbying, advocacy, and community involvement. She recently played a key role in organizing a day of action In Prospect Park to celebrate Shirley Chisholm’s 100th birthday, which was featured on WABC-NY. Karen resides in Brooklyn with her husband, James, and daughter, Kali.
