As the days tick away to a state budget deadline in New York, advocates for workers who did not qualify for federal pandemic aid are mounting a persuasion campaign to replenish a fund that aided them in last year's spending plan agreement. 

The push for excluded workers in the budget is coming in two forms: data and demonstrations. And it comes after the Democratic-led houses of the state Legislature did not set aside money in either of their competing spending proposals for adding additional money to the excluded workers fund. 

Advocates over the last several days have held demonstrations outside the offices of state lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to call for at least $3 billion in funding. 

Candidate for lieutenant governor, Ana Maria Archila, has also appeared at rallies in parts of New York, including a protest in Newburgh this week. 

And on Friday, the progressive research organization Data For Progress is set to release a poll showing broad support among voters for adding money to the fund. 

The poll found 57% of voters support adding money to the fund, including 75% of Democratic voters. The poll also found 62% of New Yorkers overall support aid for excluded workers, including 75% of Democrats and 59% of independents. 

The poll of 471 likely voters was conducted from March 7-14. Its margin of error is 4 percentage points.

Last year, state lawmakers and then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo struck a budget agreement that included a $2 billion fund meant to provide relief to people who did not receive federal assistance during the pandemic. Many of these workers are undocumented immigrants. 

Some lawmakers and advocates have called for this fund, since depleted, to be made permanent. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul's $216 billion budget proposal last month set aside an unallocated pool of money that she said could be used in a variety of ways, including support for tenants still struggling financially.