New York Governor Cuomo included a proposal to “make New York the 38th state in the country to allow early voting, in which a limited number of polling places are opened ahead of elections, freeing up voters from having to cast their ballot on a specific day.”
Proposal: Early Voting in 139 Locations
New York has 19.8 million residents. Only 11.7 million New Yorkers are registered to vote. In the last non-presidential election year, only 29 percent of registered voters participated – less than one in three. In the last presidential election, only 53.6 percent of registered voters participated.
New York ranked 44th in the nation for voter turnout in the 2012 presidential election. Research has shown that scheduling conflicts with work or school and being too busy are some of the main reasons voters cite for not participating. As Lyndon Johnson said, “The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice.” Governor Cuomo is committed to making reforms that ensure fairness and increase participation in New York’s democratic system.
According to the Brennan Center, early voting leads to shorter lines on Election Day, early identification and correction of registration errors, and greater access to voting. Currently, New Yorkers can vote early via absentee ballot, but only if s/he meets certain qualifications such as being absent from his or her county on Election Day or being unable to get to the polls due to a disability. For many working New Yorkers, it can be difficult to get to the polls on Election Day. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia already allow voters to cast ballots in person, before
Election Day.
To increase voter participation, Governor Cuomo proposes legislation that will allow New Yorkers to vote early in all elections. This legislation will require every county to offer residents access to one early voting polling place that will allow residents to vote for 12 days leading up to Election Day. Voters will have at least eight hours on weekdays and five hours on weekends to cast early ballots. Counties must have one early voting polling site for every 50,000 residents and the bi-partisan county boards of elections will determine the specific location of early voting polling places, subject to standards of convenience and accessibility. Early voting will increase participation and make our elections more inclusive and democratic.
But counties, which administer elections in New York, have their concerns, particularly when it comes to the added cost of opening polling places earlier than usual.
Stephen Acquario, Executive Director of the State Association of Counties, said the concept of early voting is a good one. But Cuomo’s proposal, he said, should be rejected unless the State agrees to cover’s the counties’ extra costs.
According to Cuomo’s office, the Governor’s early-voting plan wouldn’t have an impact on counties for the state’s coming fiscal year, which runs from April through March. After that, the cost estimate is uncertain; Acquario said the state has estimated the cost at $3 million a year, though he believes it would be higher.”
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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