New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed three new election reform laws to make it easier for New Yorkers to vote by mail as concerns mount as to whether the United States Postal Service (USPS) can handle the influx of mail-in ballots.
The three-part package will:
- Allow voters to request an absentee ballot if they are at risk for an illness, including COVID
- Allow voters to request absentee ballots starting Thursday
- Allow ballots to be postmarked on the day of the election (Nov. 3)
#BREAKING: I just signed legislation to guarantee that New Yorkers can vote safely & that EVERY vote counts.
All voters can now request an absentee ballot if they are concerned about COVID.
Voters can request absentee ballots starting TODAY.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) August 20, 2020
Prior to the reform laws, voters could only request an absentee ballot 30 days before the election. However, the new law allows voters to request one well before Election Day, according to Cuomo’s press release.
Voters were also previously unable to get an absentee ballot if they were absent from their county or unable to get to the polling site because of an illness or disability, according to WROC.
Any ballots received by the Board of Elections without a postmark on the day after the election will be counted. Ballots with a postmark showing they were mailed on or before Election Day will also be counted as long as they’re received by Nov. 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,” Cuomo said in a statement. “These actions will further break down barriers to democracy and make it easier for all New Yorkers to exercise their right to vote this November.”
Cuomo had previously signed an executive order in June that allowed all New Yorkers to vote by mail in the primary election.(RELATED: Federal Judge Rules Ballots Received After New York Primary Without Postmark Must Be Counted)
The move comes as President Donald Trump continuously claims that mail-in voting will lead to mass voter fraud and appeared to say he opposed giving money to the USPS.
But Postmaster General Louis DeJoy released a statement saying the USPS was ready to “handle whatever volume of election mail it receives this fall.” DeJoy also said he would not make any changes to the postal service before the November election after it was reported the USPS was cutting overtime hours and allegedly removing mailboxes.