Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law Thursday a three-part package of bills that allows New Yorkers to immediately submit applications to get absentee ballots and expand who can request them.
The third piece ensures that all absentee ballots postmarked on or before Election Day or received by the Board of Elections without a postmark on the day after the election will be counted.
The measures come in advance of the presidential election Nov. 3 and amid concerns that COVID-19 might keep voters home, as well as controversy over whether absentee ballots will be counted properly.
New York had already passed a law that allows for early, in-person voting to run from Oct. 24 through Nov. 1.”The federal administration has ordered an unprecedented attack on the U.S. Postal Service and with COVID-19 threatening our ability to have safe, in-person voting, these measures are critical to ensuring a successful and fair election at one of the most important moments in our nation’s history,” Cuomo said in a statement.
“These actions will further break down barriers to democracy and will make it easier for all New Yorkers to exercise their right to vote this November.”
Applying for an absentee ballot in NYLawmakers and good-government groups praised the package of bills, which lawmakers adopted earlier this summer.
Previously, New Yorkers could only request an absentee ballot 30 days before an election.
Now, the state is immediately allowing people to apply for ballots.
You can call your local board of elections for more details or to learn more, visit: www.elections.ny.gov/votingabsentee.html
The state Board of Elections said it expects it will have the actual absentee ballots printed around Sept. 18.
But first you need to apply for one.
“It is absolutely vital that New Yorkers are able to exercise their most fundamental democratic right and vote safely, by mail, in the November election, and have the assurance that their votes will be counted,” Sen. Jen Metzer, D-Rosendale, Ulster County, said in a statement.