While Election Day is still a couple of weeks away, voting has started here in New York. Over recent years, New York has taken steps to make it easier to vote. After all, under the state’s Constitution, citizens have a right to vote.
For over a century New York voters used lever machines, the most recent of those machines dating to the early 1960s. These 840 lb. behemoths were relatively easy to use (unless one had a disability). That changed two decades ago when the state moved to rely on paper ballots, in which voters filled out paper-ballot bubbles that were then scanned and tabulated. Reliance on paper ballots made elections less susceptible to fraud since there was now a physical document that contained voters’ choices, unlike the old days when no such record existed. Keeping a physical voting record is a crucial component of a secure election system.
And that’s not the only thing that’s changed. Instead of only being able to vote on the first Tuesday in November, New Yorkers can vote during an early voting period and can cast their choices through the mail.
As a result, New York votes are now more secure and casting a ballot is much easier. New Yorkers can choose one of three ways to vote:
In person (during the early voting period or on Election Day);
By requesting an absentee ballot (if you will be traveling or due to an illness); or
By requesting an early voting mail-in ballot.
It has been the mail-in voting option that has recently gotten the most attention. The Trump Administration’s disinformation operation has switched into high gear stating – falsely – that mail-in voting has been rife with fraud. As usual, no proof is offered because it isn’t true. Don’t get distracted by this obvious effort to undermine voter confidence.
For those who are interested in voting through the mail, this is the last week to register to do so. Here is how. Request a mail-in ballot online or visit your local Board of Elections office. Mail-in ballot applications must be received by the Board of Elections by this Saturday, October 25th. Your ballot will be sent to you immediately after your application is received and processed. When you have finished voting, fold the ballot and put it in the security envelope. Sign, date, and seal the security envelope. Put it in the return envelope and mail it, postmarked no later than November 4th. Return envelopes already include postage and the return address of your Board of Elections.
If you do not want to mail your ballot, you have a few options: Hand deliver it to your local county Board of Elections office by November 4th before 9 p.m. Bring it to an early voting site in your county between October 25th and November 2nd (hours and locations vary by county). Or bring it to a poll site in your county on Election Day (November 4th before 9 p.m.).
Once you have mailed in your ballot, after a few days you can then track your early mail-in ballot online.
If you haven’t registered to vote, you still have time. This Saturday, October 25th is also the voter registration deadline. If you are not sure if you are registered to vote, you can check your voter registration status online. If you are not registered yet, you can register online or visit your local Board of Elections office, or a state agency office that allows a voter to do so, to pick up a voter registration form.
October 25th is also the first day of early voting. Early voting lasts through November 2nd. The best way to know the hours of early voting and the polling locations – which are often different from those used for the traditional General Election Day voting– is to check with your local county board of elections.
The General Election Day is Tuesday November 4th during the period 6 a.m. through 9 p.m. (remember if you have voted during the early voting period, or if you voted by mail, you cannot vote again during the General Election).
However you choose to vote, when you have received your ballot, vote for the candidates of your choice on the front, and flip over your ballot to vote on the question(s) on the back (every voter will have a statewide ballot proposal, and your ballot may also include local ballot proposals from your municipal government, for example in New York City there are six ballot questions).
Given the propaganda efforts seeking to undermine elections, it’s possible that voters may run into issues when casting their ballots. If any voter gets harassed at a polling place, or if there is some other difficulty, the New York State Attorney General runs an Election Protection Hotline that can help answer voters’ questions. The Attorney General’s hotline can be contacted ((866) 390-2992) during the early voting period from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. or any time through the Attorney General’s online complaint form.
Wherever you are along the partisan divide, over the next couple of weeks you have your opportunity to have your voice heard. You can vote by mail, cast a ballot early starting this Saturday, or vote on the traditional General Election Day, November 4th. As the saying goes, not choosing is choosing. Vote.