Early Voting coming to N.Y. State?
The Election Committee of the State Senate is considering changes to election laws, including early voting and easier absentee voting. Senators Joseph Addabbo ( D-Queens) and Joseph Griffo (R-Rome) heard testimony on legislation currently moving through both chambers of the Legislature. The proposal includes:
- Instituting widespread “early voting” by allowing voters to cast their ballot at a county board of elections office between 14 days and one day before election day.
- Amending the state constitution by eliminating the requirement that absentee ballots include an explanation as to why a voter will not be able to vote on election day in their district.
- Requiring all polling places be entirely accessible to the disabled.
- Authorizing boards of election to employ election inspectors on half-day shifts - a move that could make it easier to staff polling places.
The move to so-called “no excuses” absentee ballots would have spared upstate from the episode in the recent race between Jim Tedisco and Scott Murphy in which the GOP initially challenged the absentee ballot cast by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
What do you think?
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We have one-stop no excuse absentee balloting here in North Carolina. I’m a huge fan of it.
During the 2008 election we had 15 locations in my county open for early voting and over 1/3 of people voted before election day. People can register to vote or change their registration and vote at the same time.
From a campaign perspective it makes GOTV so much easier. NC would have been a red state last year without it.
Making it easier for people to vote is good policy.
Finally … coming out of the dark ages! But not quite Oregonian still.