New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday signed three bills into law that aim to improve voter access for the Nov. 3 election.
Now, any voter can request an absentee ballot citing a risk of catching or spreading an illness. In addition, the window for requesting an absentee ballot has been widened by nearly two months, and any absentee ballot that with an Election Day postmark will be counted if the local board of election receives it within a week.
The signings come as concerns arise about the ability of the U.S. Postal Service to handle large volumes of absentee ballots. In a statement, Cuomo said the Trump administration has mounted an “unprecedented attack” on the mail system. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic makes in-person voting less safe.
“(T)hese measures are critical to ensuring a successful and fair election at one of the most important moments in our nation’s history,” the governor 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.”
Both Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said the new laws help preserve voter access.
“We will continue to fight to make it easier and safer for New Yorkers to exercise their constitutional right to vote, and protect the integrity of our elections,” Heastie said.
New York is coming off a primary election that was mired in controversy due to late changes to expand absentee voting because of the COVID-19 health emergency. In April, Cuomo signed an executive order mandating all voters receive an absentee ballot application for the June 23 election. The demand led to thousands of ballots not arriving in time to be counted and prompted lawsuits to count disqualified ballots.
To help avoid a similar situation in the fall state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, D-Brooklyn, filed a bill last month that would allow voters to request an absentee ballot earlier than 30 days before the election, which was the window the state previously offered.
“With an increasing number of voters planning to vote by absentee ballot this year, it is important to give local boards of election sufficient time to process applications and send out ballots, and maximize the time voters have to complete and return them,” Myrie said.
Meanwhile, a bill by state Sen. Michael Gianaris, D-Astoria, requires boards of election to count absentee ballots if they’re postmarked by Election Day and received within seven days of the election. It also calls on the boards to accept ballots if they were received the day after the election but did not have a postmark.
Gianaris said there were about 40 disqualified ballots in Brooklyn that met the latter description.
“It’s critical we learn the lessons of the primary election and ensure every valid vote counts in November,” he said. “The bill being signed today will help insulate voters from problems caused by difficulties with the US Postal Service.”
