George Michaels

George M. Michaels (September 15, 1910 – December 3, 1992) was an American Democratic Party politician from New York, who served in the New York State Assembly from 1961 to 1966 and 1969 to 1970, where he was best known for his changed vote that played a pivotal role in the passage of an expanded abortion rights law in New York State.

Michaels is the subject of the award-winning short documentary Deciding Vote, which premiered on The New Yorker.

He was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1961 to 1966, sitting in the 173rd, 174th, 175th and 176th New York State Legislatures. In 1966, the new apportionment joined Cayuga and Cortland counties into the 122nd District, and Michaels declined to run for re-election. Michaels was again a member of the State Assembly in 1969 and 1970. In the Assembly he was an advocate for expanded state aid to rural school districts and in sentencing and prison issues.

New York's abortion law Michaels supported what he saw as a woman's right to choose to have an abortion on a personal basis. At the request of the Cayuga County Democratic Committee he had voted twice against efforts to loosen restrictions, including an early April 1970 effort that was narrowly defeated.

Michaels had earlier voted against the proposal during the roll call, but rose to speak before the Clerk of the Assembly could close the vote and bring it to defeat. Those assembled in the galleries were unsure of his purpose, but he alluded to his intentions when he said that his constituents were going to "condemn me for what I am about to do". In explaining his change of heart, Michaels stated that "One of my sons just called me a whore for the vote I cast against this" and that another son had insisted: "Dad, for God's sake, don't let your vote be the vote that defeats this bill." After his changed vote, the chamber erupted in bedlam, Michaels buried his face in his hands, and one person shouted epithets at him.

Michaels ran for a sixth term of office in 1970. The district consisted of two counties, Cortland and Cayuga (Auburn). Cortland's population in the 1970 census was 46,000, Cayuga had 77,000.

The Cortland County Democratic Committee met first and endorsed Michaels in a vote that was overwhelming but not unanimous, with two members voting "no." The Cayuga County Democratic Committee met next endorsed John Rossi by a vote of 72 to 53. The issue was his vote on the abortion law. On June 23, he ran in the Democratic primary and was defeated, joining D. Clinton Dominick III, a Republican who had sponsored the bill in the state senate who also lost in the primary, apparently due to his support for the abortion bill. Michaels ran in a four-way race in the November election on the Liberal ticket for re-election, but was defeated by Republican Lloyd Stephen Riford Jr.

Michaels died on December 3, 1992, at his home in Auburn, New York, after a long illness. He was survived by his wife of 59 years, the former Helen Wetzler, three sons and eight grandchildren. The documentary was directed by Jeremy Workman and Robert J. Lyons and won numerous film festival awards and citations, before being Oscar-shortlisted in 2024. Deciding Vote was nominated for Most Outstanding Short Film for the 45th News and Documentary Emmy Awards.