Push for Automatic Vote-by-Mail in New York State

Why We Need Automatic Vote-by-Mail

Because of the current Covid-19 pandemic, the uncertainty as to when the “pause” order will be lifted, and the possibility of a second, or even a third wave of the pandemic, it is essential that New Yorkers be able to vote safely from home in the June 23 Primary and November 3 General Elections. NY Senate and Assembly bills (S8120 and A10231) will accomplish automatic Vote-by-Mail by directing the state board of elections “to create a plan to permit voting by mail in the event of a natural disaster or state of emergency”.

Automatic Vote-by-Mail vs. Absentee Ballots

Absentee ballots require obtaining, filling in, and submitting a ballot application, which then needs to be processed and reviewed by the county Board of Elections. If an application is filled out incorrectly, your final vote might not be counted. On the other hand, automatic Vote-by-Mail would not require an application. All registered voters would receive a ballot by mail. Vote-by-Mail is therefore is easier for voters;  less labor intensive to process, and provides greater assurance that your vote will be counted.

Call to Action

The NY State Legislature can pass this legislation if and when they reconvene.  Until then, the two Vote-by-Mail bills remain in the Senate and Assembly committees. We must urge our lawmakers to reconvene as soon as possible, to re-focus on election security,  and move Vote-by-Mail forward for a full vote. Please call or email the following state leaders to ask for this essential Vote-by-Mail legislation.

Here’s a suggested script to use in a phone call or e-mail:

By June 23 and November 3, 2020, New Yorkers will still be suffering great grief and economic distress because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  It is critical that the Legislature reconvene as soon as possible and focus on election security.  You need to make it possible for us to safely and easily vote from home.  I urge you to support automatic Vote-by-Mail bills [S8120 for Senate / A10231 for Assembly], so that every voter registered in New York has a ballot mailed to them, to make sure our votes are heard in the upcoming elections.

Thank you in advance for safeguarding democracy in New York and America.

Related Articles:

https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/jen-metzger/metzger-introduces-automatic-vote-mail-legislation-wake-covid-19
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/best-way-protect-election/608887/
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/13/politics/michelle-obama-mail-in-voting-support-coronavirus/index.html
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2020/attorney-general-james-calls-automatic-absentee-voting-ny-presidential-primary