ALBANY - New York has expanded residents' ability to cast their votes by absentee ballots. Now they have more places to drop off the completed ballots.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo this month issued an executive order that requires local election boards to allow voters to drop off completed absentee ballots at a board office, an early voting location or an Election Day voting location.
Voters will be able to drop off the completed ballots without having to wait in line with in-person voters, a move aimed at minimizing crowds on Election Day, Nov. 3, and promoting contactless voting amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We want fair voting, we want easy voting, and we want accurate voting," Cuomo said Sept. 8. "Because of COVID this year, you can vote by absentee or you can vote early. Vote in-person on election day if you choose. You can get your ballot online; you can do that now."
New York is allowing anyone in the state to request an absentee ballot this year because of the pandemic. A voter can request a ballot, then either complete it and mail it in or drop it off at the voting locations during the early voting period or at a local election board office.
The state's early voting runs from October 24 through Nov. 1.
Local election boards have to submit plans to the state Board of Elections by Sept. 21 on how they will designate locations to accept absentee ballots, Cuomo said.
Cuomo said allowing absentee ballots to be submitted in person also alleviates potential problems with the mail, which he blamed on the federal government.
"This is our way of developing a drop box system, right?" he said. "People talk about drop boxes, basically set up a substitute U.S. Postal Service where you have of metal box where everybody can go to a metal box and put the ballot in the metal box."
New Yorkers can request absentee ballots under a new law this year that expands eligibility to all voters who have concerns regarding COVID-19. They need to check the "temporary illness" box on their absentee ballot application.
Because Cuomo signed the law Aug. 20, those who applied under the "temporary illness" box prior to then will need to reapply.
To learn more about getting an absentee ballot, visit ny.gov/earlyvote.
Previously, New Yorkers could only request an absentee ballot 30 days before an election, but now they can immediately apply.
Also, new laws this year allow absentee ballots postmarked on or before Election Day or received by an elections board without a postmark on the day after the election to be counted.
Ballots with a postmark on or before Election Day will be counted if received by Nov. 10.
New Yorkers cannot vote twice. If someone votes in person, their absentee ballot — which is counted after all the in-person votes are tallied — would be discarded, state officials said.
More: Apply for a New York absentee ballot before Aug. 20? You may have to reapply
More: New Yorkers can now apply for absentee ballots for the November elections. Here's how
Joseph Spector is the New York state editor for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at JSPECTOR@Gannett.com or followed on Twitter: @GannettAlbany
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