New York voters could soon vote by mail under a proposal headed to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk.
The move was applauded by good government organizations after New York officials allowed voters to cite COVID as a reason for absentee voting. Republicans, however, have rejected expanding voting to include more mail-in ballots.
New York requires voters to provide a reason they need an absentee ballot to vote, such as being outside the county where they are registered to vote or having an illness or disability.
Voters in 2021 rejected a constitutional amendment to create a no-excuse ballot system in New York.
“Allowing New Yorkers to vote by mail increases voter participation in hard-to-reach populations, including youth and voters of color. We know mail-in voting works: New York did it successfully in 2020 in the face of the pandemic of COVID-19,” he said. Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause New York. “As a nonpartisan, voting rights organization with decades of experience, Common Cause/NY knows that this is not only absolutely legal under our constitution, but the right thing to do.”
If signed, the measure would enter into force from 2024.
“Voting is a fundamental right and the easier we make it to vote, the healthier our democracy will be,” said Sen. Michael Gianaris, who co-sponsored the measure with Assemblywoman Karines Reyes. “I am proud that the State Senate passed this bill and continues to build on its important work to expand access to the ballot for all New Yorkers.”
Parliament approved the proposal in party-line votes in the final days of the legislative session. In early May, some Republicans opposed the idea of expanding the pandemic-era provision to allow for COVID as a reason for absentee voting.
“There’s generally concern about how many ballots we’re going to mail,” said Sen. Mark Walczyk. “It seems like the push in general with one-party control in general is to move more things toward absenteeism.”
