Bronx Assembly Member Karines Reyes, R.N. (A.D. 87) and Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris (S.D. 12) announced on Friday, June 9, that the State Assembly passed their new legislation (S.7394/A.7632) to expand early voting options to include an early vote by mail choice for all New Yorkers. The legislation passed the State Senate earlier this week and now heads to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk for approval.

“We have seen how important it is to have access to mail-in voting,” said Reyes, who broadly represents the Bronx neighborhoods of Castle Hill, Unionport, Parkchester, West Farms and Little Yemen. “This critical legislation will make it easier for New Yorkers to exercise their constitutional right to vote.”

“Voting is a fundamental right and the easier we make it to vote, the healthier our democracy will be,” said Gianaris. “I am proud both houses of the legislature passed this bill and we continue to build on its important work of expanding access to the ballot box for all New Yorkers.”

The legislation is supported by groups including the Leadership Now Project, Institute for Responsive Government, Actors’ Equity Association, Make the Road New York, StandUp America, and Tech:NYC, according to Reyes and Gianaris and once signed, would give all New Yorkers the option of early voting by mail.

Sam Oliker-Friedland, executive director of the Institute for Responsive Government said, “Some 35 states already offer no-excuse vote by mail options, and now thanks to the leadership of Sen. Gianaris, Assembly Member Reyes, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Carl Heastie, New York will be joining them.”

He added, “No-excuse vote-by-mail is a win-win that increases eligible voter participation, allowing workers who have unconventional work schedules or are elderly to cast a ballot by mail. It also eases the burden on election officials by reducing the demand on Election Day.”

While the State constitution requires a prescribed reason [“excuse”] for Election Day absentee voting, as previously reported, it does not constrain the legislature from enacting a unique process for early voting according to Reyes and Gianaris. Similar proposals have been enacted, and survived challenges in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania they said.

Christina Harvey, executive director of Stand Up America said in part, “By creating a permanent mail-in voting system open to all voters, more New Yorkers will be able to make their voices heard in our elections, whether they are hardworking people who may not have enough hours in the day to get to the polls, seniors who can’t vote in person, or someone who prefers to fill out their ballot at their own pace in the privacy of their home.”

New Yorkers would request an early voting ballot from their local Board of Elections and it would need to be returned before the close of polls on Election Day.

Daniella Ballou-Aares, CEO & co-founder of the Leadership Now Project said, “A stronger, more accessible democracy makes New York a more desirable place to live and work. Vote by mail is a crucial modernization that 35 states have already adopted. We are thrilled to see speedy passage of this important measure.”

The National Vote at Home Institute is a 501c3 organization that aims to increase voters’ access to, use of, and confidence in voting at home. The organization provided a breakdown (seen in the chart hereunder) of how mail-in voting has affected voting overall across the country since 2018. Gerry Langeler, former director of research and communications at the organization, said New York previously comprised almost half of the “excuse required” contingent (12.8 percent).

Langeler added, “As another data point, given the New York law is modeled after what PA did, in 2018, prior to PA passing its early mail ballot statute, they saw about 4 percent of their ballots cast from voters who received them in the mail, via the old “excuse required” absentee model. In 2022, that number was 20 percent.  New York State was at about 4 percent in 2018 too, and was again in 2022 (after the COVID driven spike in 2020). It will be fascinating to see what happens in NY over the next few election cycles with this option in place for the voters.”

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on elections and the related need to implement absentee voting for the majority of voters during its height, in order to maintain social distancing before a vaccine became available, indeed prompted many residents to push to make absentee voting permanent, which it subsequently was, thanks in large part to the efforts of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81), as reported.

As also reported, a virtual discussion was held by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and other elected officials and community activists in 2020 on the subject of voter suppression. They called for the abolition of the cost of mailing back absentee ballots, which they viewed as another form of voter suppression, since many people struggle to come up with the cost of postage.

The assemblyman also sponsored a new law in December 2021 which required the Board of Elections to offer voters absentee ballot tracking after reports amid the pandemic that their ballots were being lost in the mail.

As reported, at the height of the pandemic in June 2020, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) who represents parts of The Bronx and Queens, had also highlighted the challenges faced by Bronxites, particularly the elderly, when voting at the polls, including having to line up for many hours without any seating or access to water.

In April 2022, it was announced that the State was to create a statewide accessible absentee ballot program for voters with disabilities.

New York State Primary Elections June 27 Key Dates

Request your absentee ballot online or by mail by Monday, June 12. Register to vote here by Saturday, June 17. Update your address if you have moved in order to vote on Primary Day by Saturday, June 17. Early voting takes place from Saturday, June 17, to Sunday, June 25. Click here  to find your early voting site and hours. Request an absentee ballot in person by Monday, June 26.  To find your borough Board of Elections office, click here.

Polls are open on Primary Election Day, Tuesday, June 27, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Click here to find your Election Day poll site. Return your absentee ballot by mail (postmark required) or drop it off at a poll site by Tuesday, June 27.

Read our most recent coverage on campaign financing in relation to the upcoming June primaries here.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.