If you’re a registered voter you have the option to apply for a mail in ballot. A registered voter in NYS is anyone who is a US citizen, 18 years of age, a resident of NYS, their county, city or village 30 days before an upcoming election. Not in prison for a felony. Not found incompetent by a court. Not claiming the right to vote elsewhere.
You can apply for a mail in ballot online or in person at your local county court of elections. Applications must arrive no later than 10 days before an election. Returned ballots must be postmarked no later than the election date.
You may apply if: You will be absent from your county on the day of election. You’re unable to appear at your polling station because of illness or disability. You’re unable to appear because you’re the primary caregiver of one or more individuals who are ill or disabled. You’re a resident of a Veterans Health Administration Hospital. You’re in jail or prison for any reason other than a felony conviction.
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When you receive the package, it will contain a ballot, a security envelope (that must be signed and sealed) and a prepaid envelope with a return address of your county board of elections. The ballot must be postmarked by the day of the election.
The Supreme Court heard arguments this week about whether counting ballots posted on election day should be continued in Mississippi. The state passed a law in 2020 allowing ballots received within 5 days of election day valid, as long as they are posted before or on election day. Some of the conservative justices showed interest in striking down this law, while the liberal judges disagreed.
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The Constitution gives states the power to oversee elections. A Supreme Court ruling in favor of striking down Mississippi’s law would contradict the Constitution, as well as making it more difficult for people who live in very rural areas to vote.
President Trump, a long-time criticizer of mail in ballots, cast his vote this week for House District 87 (his Mar-a-Lago address) special election by mail, and he also voted by mail in the primary election in January.
When asked about mail in ballots, he stated: “Mail in voting, means mail in cheating. I call it mail in cheating, and we’ve got to do something about it all.”
Stay safe and stay informed.
