NY State Senate · District 31
Robert Jackson
New York State Senator, District 31 (since January 2019)DWFPINCUMBENT
- Race
- NY State Senate · District 31
- Result
- Robert Jackson, projected winner
- Opponents
- Unopposed
- Research
- In depth
Party line32 votes tracked
With party = voted the same way as most Democrats who voted.
Said vs. did1 statement · 32 votes
Robert Jackson is a Democratic and Working Families Party New York State Senator for District 31, covering Washington Heights, Inwood, and other northern and west Manhattan neighborhoods, and won re-election unopposed on November 3, 2026. A longtime Washington Heights resident who first became known as a Community School Board president and co-founder of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity school-funding lawsuit, he served on the New York City Council from 2002 to 2013 and was elected to the Senate in 2018. He chairs the Senate Civil Service and Pensions Committee.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Compare statements with votes ›On the ballotNY State Senate · 31
2026-11-03
| Robert Jackson DWFP | incumbent |
Won the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary over Nayma Silver-Matos, 71.9%–27.7%; unopposed in the general election.
Said vs. did
Each documented position next to the recorded floor votes we map to the same issue. Votes are compared one at a time; no overall stance is inferred from them.
Sponsors S10687, which would require added tenant notices and extra time to respond when landlords apply for major capital improvement rent increases.
Documented position[7]
- YESS6458 (Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, 2019-06-14): Made rent regulation permanent, ended vacancy decontrol and the vacancy bonus, and limited rent increases for major capital improvements.[8]
1 of 1 vote point the same way as the statement
No statement on this issue in our sources.
- YESS6599 (Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, 2019-06-18): Set statewide targets of 70% renewable electricity by 2030 and an 85% cut in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050.[9]
No statement on this issue in our sources.
- YESS2451 (Extreme Risk Protection Orders (Red Flag Law), 2019-01-29): Allows courts to temporarily bar people found to pose a danger to themselves or others from possessing firearms.[10]
- YESS51001 (Concealed Carry Improvement Act, 2022-07-01): Enacted after the Bruen decision: added training and character requirements for carry permits and barred guns in designated sensitive places.[11]
No statement on this issue in our sources.
- YESS240 (Reproductive Health Act, 2019-01-22): Moved abortion from the penal code to the public-health law and protected access to abortion under state law.[12]
No statement on this issue in our sources.
- YESS425-A (Protect Our Courts Act, 2020-07-22): Bars federal civil immigration arrests of people going to, attending, or leaving New York courthouses without a judicial warrant.[13]
No statement on this issue in our sources.
- YESS2509-C (2021–22 Budget Revenue Bill (raised taxes on income over $1M and corporate franchise tax), 2021-04-06): Raised personal income tax rates on incomes above $1 million and raised the corporate franchise tax rate on large businesses, among other revenue measures.[14]
Biography
Robert Jackson is a Democratic and Working Families Party New York State Senator for District 31, covering Washington Heights, Inwood, and other northern and west Manhattan neighborhoods, and won re-election unopposed on November 3, 2026. A longtime Washington Heights resident who first became known as a Community School Board president and co-founder of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity school-funding lawsuit, he served on the New York City Council from 2002 to 2013 and was elected to the Senate in 2018. He chairs the Senate Civil Service and Pensions Committee.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Jackson was born in Harlem and raised in Manhattan, one of nine children according to his official biography, which says his family has lived in Washington Heights since 1975. Wikipedia gives his birth date as December 18, 1950.[3][4] He attended New York City public schools, including P.S. 186 in Washington Heights and Benjamin Franklin High School in the Bronx, and graduated from the State University of New York at New Paltz (1975, per Wikipedia).[3][4] After college he worked for the New York State Department of Labor and the Public Employees Federation, a labor union, and a Cornell ILR School profile says he spent 23 years in the labor movement. He was elected to New York City Community School Board 6 in 1986.[4][15]
As Community School Board president, Jackson launched the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit (Campaign for Fiscal Equity v. State of New York), arguing that the state's school-funding formula shortchanged New York City students, and walked 150 miles to Albany to draw attention to the case. The state's highest court ruled for the plaintiffs in 2003.[3][4] He was elected to the New York City Council in 2001 and served from 2002 to 2013 representing the 7th District in Manhattan, including as Education Committee chair and co-chair of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, before he was term-limited in 2013.[3][4]
Jackson ran unsuccessfully for Manhattan Borough President in the 2013 Democratic primary, finishing third, and lost Democratic primaries for State Senate District 31 in 2014 and 2016.[4] He was elected a Democratic District Leader in 2015, according to his official biography.[3] In 2018 he won the State Senate seat by defeating incumbent Marisol Alcantara in the Democratic primary, and he was re-elected in 2020, 2022 and 2024.[2][4]
Jackson chairs the Senate Civil Service and Pensions Committee in the 2025-2026 session and sits on the Education, Health, Higher Education, Housing, Labor, and New York City Education committees.[2][3] According to his official biography, he is married and has three daughters.[3] He was unopposed in the November 3, 2026 general election, according to Ballotpedia and Wikipedia.[5][6]
Recent votes
| Date | Party line | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Relates to information that residential health care facilities are required to disclose to residents and their familiesA10312-A · Passed Senate 39–21 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 1–21 |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Enacts the "police radio transparency act"A11199-A · Passed Senate 37–23 · official record ↗Democrats 36–1 · Republicans 0–22 |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Relates to license fees required to be paid by wholesale beer licensees to sell ciderA11437 · Passed Senate 47–13 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 9–13 |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Enacts the responsible data center development actA11560 · Passed Senate 43–17 · official record ↗Democrats 36–1 · Republicans 6–16 |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Requires the division of criminal justice services to study the technological viability of personalized firearmsA1191-B · Passed Senate 40–20 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 2–20 |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Promotes consumer choice by requiring manufacturers of digital electronic equipment to provide retail sellers with a one through ten repair score that will be displayed to consumers at point of saleA3058-C · Passed Senate 39–21 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 1–21 |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Relates to the taxation of vapor productsA4619-B · Passed Senate 52–8 · official record ↗Democrats 32–5 · Republicans 19–3 |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Relates to training for school security guardsA5079-E · Passed Senate 52–8 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 14–8 |
Showing the 8 most recent of 32 votes.
All 32 recorded votes
| Date | Party line | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Relates to information that residential health care facilities are required to disclose to residents and their familiesA10312-A · Passed Senate 39–21 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 1–21Relates to information that residential health care facilities are required to separately disclose to residents and their families; requires such information to be posted on the residential health care facility's website. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Enacts the "police radio transparency act"A11199-A · Passed Senate 37–23 · official record ↗Democrats 36–1 · Republicans 0–22Requires that any law enforcement agency in the state that encrypts any portion of its radio communications shall ensure that all of its radio communications, with the exception of sensitive information, may be monitored in real time by professional journalists, newscasters, and individuals employed by emergency services organizations. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Relates to license fees required to be paid by wholesale beer licensees to sell ciderA11437 · Passed Senate 47–13 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 9–13Requires wholesale beer licensees to only need to pay a one time additional license fee to sell cider. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Enacts the responsible data center development actA11560 · Passed Senate 43–17 · official record ↗Democrats 36–1 · Republicans 6–16Places a one year moratorium on the issuance of data center permits; requires utilities to establish an independent classification of service for large data centers; sets energy efficiency goals for data centers; provides for benefits for host communities; sets labor standards for the construction of data centers. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Requires the division of criminal justice services to study the technological viability of personalized firearmsA1191-B · Passed Senate 40–20 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 2–20Enacts the "safer weapons, safer homes act"; requires the division of criminal justice services to study the technological viability of personalized firearms; defines personalized firearms; requires the division to report to the governor and the legislature on the results of the study. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Promotes consumer choice by requiring manufacturers of digital electronic equipment to provide retail sellers with a one through ten repair score that will be displayed to consumers at point of saleA3058-C · Passed Senate 39–21 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 1–21Promotes consumer choice by requiring manufacturers of digital electronic equipment to provide retail sellers with a repair score that will be displayed to consumers at point of sale. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Relates to the taxation of vapor productsA4619-B · Passed Senate 52–8 · official record ↗Democrats 32–5 · Republicans 19–3Relates to the taxation of vapor products; provides for the licensing of vapor products distributors; imposes certain tax return filing requirements on vapor products distributors; provides for enforcement powers. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Relates to training for school security guardsA5079-E · Passed Senate 52–8 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 14–8Enacts the "school security guard training enhancement act"; provides that annual training where a security guard is employed or contracted by a school in this state shall require the completion of school specific-training. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Relates to the municipal sustainable energy loan programA5404-C · Passed Senate 47–13 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 9–13Relates to the municipal sustainable energy loan program regarding qualifying water improvements, qualifying resiliency improvements and, in a city with a population of one million or more, the use of low carbon intensity building components. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Relates to the contents of emergency response plans required to be submitted to the public service commission by electric corporationsA6285 · Passed Senate 53–7 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 15–7Relates to the contents of emergency response plans required to be submitted to the public service commission by electric corporations; requires such plans to include details of staffing, equipment, and ability to perform toward certain standards; requires the public service commission to establish a time-based restoration schedule. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Establishes the artificial intelligence training data transparency actA6578-B · Passed Senate 54–6 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 16–6Establishes the artificial intelligence training data transparency act requiring developers of generative artificial intelligence models or services to post on the developer's website information regarding the data used by the developer to train the generative artificial intelligence model or service, including a high-level summary of the datasets used in the development of such system or service. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Enacts "the construction reporting pay act"A6950 · Passed Senate 50–10 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 12–10Enacts "the construction reporting pay act"; provides that each laborer, worker or mechanic in the employ of a contractor who by request or permission of an employer reports for work on any day shall be paid no less than four hours at the prevailing rate of wages. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Permits funds collected from the Oswego county occupancy tax to be used on making tourism related capital improvementsA8143-A · Passed Senate 55–5 · official record ↗Democrats 34–3 · Republicans 20–2Permits funds collected from the Oswego county occupancy tax to be used on making tourism related capital improvements; removes such tax on permanent residents. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Designates dog control officers of the village of Holley, named by the village board as constables, as peace officersA8235 · Passed Senate 47–13 · official record ↗Democrats 24–13 · Republicans 22–0Designates dog control officers of the village of Holley, named by the village board as constables, as peace officers. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Provides liability protections for health care providers who issue vaccinesA9140 · Passed Senate 42–18 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 4–18Provides liability protections for health care providers who issue vaccines so long as such vaccination does not arise out of willful misconduct or gross negligence. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Prohibits the use of surveillance pricingA9349-B · Passed Senate 39–21 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 1–21Prohibits the use of surveillance pricing, directly or indirectly; prohibits the collection, use, retention, or sharing of data to facilitate surveillance pricing; provides exceptions; provides for enforcement by the attorney general; makes related provisions. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Requires covered businesses to annually report to the department of labor regarding the impact of artificial intelligence on hiring and the nature of artificial intelligence useA9581-B · Passed Senate 38–22 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 0–22Requires covered businesses to annually report to the department of labor regarding the impact of artificial intelligence on hiring and the nature of artificial intelligence use for the previous year; requires the department of labor to file an annual report on the impact of artificial intelligence on hiring and the nature of artificial intelligence use in the state; establishes penalties for covered business that fail to submit such reports. |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Amends a plan setting forth an itemized list of grantees for a certain appropriation for additional grants in aid for certain educational and not-for-profit institutionsR2343 · Passed Senate 49–11 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 11–11 |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Amends a plan setting forth an itemized list of grantees for a certain appropriation for the 2023-2024 fiscal year for services and expenses of human services and veterans community services organizationsR2344 · Passed Senate 51–9 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 13–9 |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Amends a plan setting forth an itemized list of grantees for a certain appropriation for additional grants in aid certain educational and not-for-profit institutionsR2345 · Passed Senate 49–11 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 11–11 |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Amends a plan setting forth an itemized list of grantees for certain appropriations for services and expenses of economic development and community services organizationsR2346 · Passed Senate 50–10 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 12–10 |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Amends a plan setting forth an itemized list of grantees for a certain appropriation for aid for services and expenses of human services and veterans community services organizationsR2347 · Passed Senate 52–8 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 14–8 |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Amending a plan setting forth an itemized list of grantees for a certain appropriation for the 2025-26 state fiscal year for community adult and youth mental health programs and servicesR2348 · Passed Senate 50–10 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 12–10 |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Amends a plan establishing itemized list of grantees for 2025-2026 providing community safety and restorative justice programsR2349 · Passed Senate 50–10 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 12–10 |
| 2026-06-04 | With partyvoted yes | Amends a plan setting forth an itemized list of grantees for a certain appropriation for additional grants in aid for services and expenses of senate priorities for housing initiativesR2350 · Passed Senate 50–10 · official record ↗Democrats 37–0 · Republicans 12–10 |
| 2022-07-01 | Split partyvoted yes | Concealed Carry Improvement ActS51001 · Passed 43–20 · official record ↗Enacted after the Bruen decision: added training and character requirements for carry permits and barred guns in designated sensitive places. |
| 2021-04-06 | Split partyvoted yes | 2021–22 Budget Revenue Bill (raised taxes on income over $1M and corporate franchise tax)S2509-C · Passed 38–25 · official record ↗Raised personal income tax rates on incomes above $1 million and raised the corporate franchise tax rate on large businesses, among other revenue measures. |
| 2020-07-22 | Split partyvoted yes | Protect Our Courts ActS425-A · Passed 42–18 · official record ↗Bars federal civil immigration arrests of people going to, attending, or leaving New York courthouses without a judicial warrant. |
| 2019-06-18 | Split partyvoted yes | Climate Leadership and Community Protection ActS6599 · Passed 41–21 · official record ↗Set statewide targets of 70% renewable electricity by 2030 and an 85% cut in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050. |
| 2019-06-14 | Split partyvoted yes | Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019S6458 · Passed 36–26 · official record ↗Made rent regulation permanent, ended vacancy decontrol and the vacancy bonus, and limited rent increases for major capital improvements. |
| 2019-01-29 | Split partyvoted yes | Extreme Risk Protection Orders (Red Flag Law)S2451 · Passed 42–21 · official record ↗Allows courts to temporarily bar people found to pose a danger to themselves or others from possessing firearms. |
| 2019-01-22 | Split partyvoted yes | Reproductive Health ActS240 · Passed 38–24 · official record ↗Moved abortion from the penal code to the public-health law and protected access to abortion under state law. |
Albany votes: landmark laws since 2019, plus the 25 most recent 2025–26 roll calls where at least five members voted on the losing side, from the legislature’s official records. Party line is scored for 2025–26 votes only.
On the record
Official actions: bills, executive acts, filings and court records.
- bill2026-06-12 · Sponsored S10655, implementing a state collective-bargaining agreement covering more than 56,000 Professional, Scientific and Technical Services Unit employees; passed the Senate 60–0 on June 4, 2026 and signed by the Governor June 12, 2026 (Chapter 133).[16]
- bill2026-09-10 · Sponsored S10605, extending from 2026 to 2030 the deadline for retirement-system members and workers'-compensation claimants to file World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup-related disability claims; passed the Senate 61–0 on June 2, 2026 and signed by the Governor September 10, 2026 (Chapter 296).[17]
- bill2026-06-02 · Sponsored S10590, restoring a 55-years-old/30-years-of-service retirement option and lowering the normal retirement age from 63 to 62 for uniformed court officers and peace officers in the Unified Court System; passed the Senate 61–0 on June 2, 2026 and was delivered to the Governor.[18]
- actionChairs the Senate Civil Service and Pensions Committee in the 2025–2026 session and also sits on the Education, Health, Housing, Higher Education, and Labor committees.[19]
In their own words
Campaign moneyNo FEC filing summary matched — state candidates file with their state, not the FEC.
Profile: /people/robert-jackson
Where they stood out
Voted against most of their party on 1 of 673 party-divided votes on file.
Relates to placing restrictions on the sale of flare guns
What it does: Establishes the crimes of criminal sale of a flare gun in the first and second degrees; sets restrictions on and requirements for the sale of flare guns.
Voted no · most Democrats voted yes · Democrats 34–3, Republicans 0–22
Jun 1, 2026Official record ↗
Their votes on the most contested roll calls
The votes in their chamber that came out closest and most divided by party, among those they voted on. How we rank
- Yes
Requires cultural awareness and competence training for medical professionals
With most of their party · Passed Senate 34–24 · Yes 34–No 24 · Democrats 33–2, Republicans 0–22
Jun 4, 2025Official record ↗
- Yes
Relates to the closure of nursing homes
With most of their party · Passed Senate 32–20 · Yes 32–No 20 · Democrats 32–0, Republicans 0–20
May 15, 2025Official record ↗
- Yes
With most of their party · Passed Senate 35–23 · Yes 35–No 23 · Democrats 34–1, Republicans 0–22
Jun 4, 2025Official record ↗
- Yes
Relates to commissaries and canteens at correctional institutions
With most of their party · Passed Senate 36–22 · Yes 36–No 22 · Democrats 35–0, Republicans 0–22
May 29, 2026Official record ↗
- Yes
With most of their party · Passed Senate 36–22 · Yes 36–No 22 · Democrats 35–0, Republicans 0–22
May 29, 2026Official record ↗
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.New York State Senate District 31 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 2.Robert Jackson (New York) · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 3.About Robert Jackson · NYSenate.gov Official record
- 4.Robert Jackson (New York politician) · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 5.NY State Senate District 31 election 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
- 6.2026 New York State Senate election · Wikipedia · 2026-11-09 Reference
- 7.S10687: notice of major capital improvement rent-increase applications · New York State Senate Official record
- 8.Senate floor vote: S6458 — Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 · New York State Senate · 2019-06-14 Official record
- 9.Senate floor vote: S6599 — Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act · New York State Senate · 2019-06-18 Official record
- 10.Senate floor vote: S2451 — Extreme Risk Protection Orders (Red Flag Law) · New York State Senate · 2019-01-29 Official record
- 11.Senate floor vote: S51001 — Concealed Carry Improvement Act · New York State Senate · 2022-07-01 Official record
- 12.Senate floor vote: S240 — Reproductive Health Act · New York State Senate · 2019-01-22 Official record
- 13.Senate floor vote: S425-A — Protect Our Courts Act · New York State Senate · 2020-07-22 Official record
- 14.Senate floor vote: S2509-C — 2021–22 Budget Revenue Bill (raised taxes on income over $1M and corporate franchise tax) · New York State Senate · 2021-04-06 Official record
- 15.Robert Jackson · Cornell ILR School Reference
- 16.S10655: PEF Professional, Scientific and Technical Services Unit agreement · New York State Senate · 2026-06-12 Official record
- 17.S10605: World Trade Center disability-claim filing deadline extension · New York State Senate · 2026-09-10 Official record
- 18.S10590: Unified Court System retirement eligibility · New York State Senate · 2026-06-02 Official record
- 19.Robert Jackson (New York) · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 20.About Robert Jackson · NYSenate.gov Official record