By Dan Murphy
Last week, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed laws which will make it easier for New Yorkers to vote this fall. Voters will now be able to request an absentee ballot due to risk or fear of COVID-19. Absentee ballots that are 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. Ballots with a postmark demonstrating that they were mailed on or before Election Day will be counted if received by November 10.
“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,” Governor Cuomo said. “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.”
If you were a voter concerned about having to wait too long to request and receive an absentee ballot, you can now request your ballot immediately. NY voters will no longer have to wait until Oct 3, or 30 Days prior to the election, to request their absentee ballot.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “Voting access is one of the core foundations of our democracy. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we must ensure that no New Yorkers feel pressured to put their health and well-being at risk to exercise their Constitutional right to vote. I thank the bill sponsors for advancing this legislation, and my Senate Democratic Majority colleagues for their ongoing commitment to empower New York voters and Governor Cuomo for signing these bills.”
In an attempt to reduce the number of absentee ballots that are disqualified, ballots that are postmarked on the day of the election, November 3 will be counted. Also ballots delivered to the Board of Elections without a postmark, but stamped as received by the Board of Elections will be counted.
State Senator Alessandra Biaggi said, “COVID has upended every aspect of our lives — but we cannot allow it to undermine our democracy and New Yorkers’ sacred right to vote. I introduced S8015D to ensure that no New Yorker will have to choose between their health and fulfilling their civic responsibility. Unfortunately, during the June election too many New Yorkers had to make that very choice because they did not receive their ballots on time. I want to thank Governor Cuomo for signing my bill to provide every New Yorker with the assurance that they can vote via absentee ballot come November and to give the Board of Elections the time they need to prepare. I also want to extend my gratitude to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and my colleagues in the Legislature for their partnership and commitment to protecting our democracy.”
New Yorkers will still be required to request an absentee ballot in order to receive one in the mail. After filling out a request for an absentee ballot, the Board of Elections will mail your ballot to your home. Voters will then have to fill out the ballot, sign and seal it, and get your ballot to the Baord of Elections in a few different ways.
You can, of course, mail your ballot through the Post Office. For those who have had substandard postal delivery in their communities, you can mail in your ballot up to 30 days before Election Day.
Or, you can deliver your ballot to the Board of Elections in White Plains at any time before Election Day, November 3. Or, if you can’t get to the BOE, you can have a friend or family member deliver your sealed ballot to the BOE.
Several elected officials in Westchester have called for “Ballot Boxes” to be installed at locations throughout the county, making it easier for voters to drop off their sealed ballots.
Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner wrote, “Many of my constituents have asked why New York State or the Board of Elections still has not authorized the placement of secure voting boxes to placed at municipal buildings so people don’t have to rely on the the postal service for delivery. I have been pushing for this for about a month and am disappointed that so far NYS has not taken any action. Voters are very worried that the postal service won’t deliver their ballots in time. New York State allows voters to drop off their ballots at early voting locations but some voters (during COVID-19)–especially those with compromised immune systems- don’t want to go inside a polling place and risk getting sick. Having voting boxes outside municipal buildings will enable concerned voters to avoid contact with others,” wrote Feiner, who received a response from the NYS BOE which explained that voters will be able to drop off their absentee ballots at Early Voting locations in Westchester County.
Early voting will start on October 24 to November 1. We will highlight those locations in this paper. The Westchester County Board of Legislators have asked State lawmakers to pass a law allowing drop-boxes for voters to use in casting absentee ballots this fall. This would give the Westchester Board of Elections the power to set up boxes across the county where voters can return absentee ballots until the close of voting on Election Day.
Establishing drop-boxes was one of the recommendations for improving voting this fall included in a report from the Board of Legislators’ Election Information Gathering Task Force issued earlier this month.
Board Chairman Ben Boykin said, “In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must do everything we can to make sure voters can safely and securely cast ballots. Recent State legislation to give everyone concerned about COVID-19 the option of voting absentee is a hugely important step. Also allowing voters the option of dropping off their ballots in conveniently located boxes would be an enormous benefit to those concerned about whether their absentee ballots will be delivered and counted. I’m pleased that all the County Legislators feel the same way and we urge our colleagues in Albany to act swiftly on this measure.”
