All New Yorkers will be allowed to vote by mail in upcoming elections

NEW YORK – All New Yorkers will be allowed to vote by mail in the upcoming elections.
In a 6-1 ruling Tuesday, New York state’s Court of Appeals upheld the voter expansion law approved by the Legislature in 2023 that allows any registered voter to cast a ballot by mail.
State Republicans, led by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, had argued the law was unconstitutional. In 2021, voters rejected a similar proposed amendment to the state constitution.
Chief Judge Rowan Wilson said, however, there’s no clear understanding that requires in-person voting, writing in part that the Republican’s argument is “insufficient to overcome the strong presumption of constitutionality.”
“Having the availability to vote by mail does help with turnout, and it just provides an additional avenue by which people can make their voices heard during the election,” said Susan Lerner, executive director of the nonprofit Common Cause.
In a statement, Gov. Kathy Hochul said:
State Attorney General Letitia James released the following statement:
Stefanik said in a statement:
“You lose the notion that we all vote on the same day and with the same information or misinformation,” said former Republican congressman John Faso. “It shows a degree of hostility to the voters both on the part of the Democrats and the Legislature who did this and Governor Hochul, who signed it.”
New Yorkers can apply for an early mail ballot online on the state Board of Elections website or request one in person at their local county Board of Elections.
Early mail ballots for the November General Election must be postmarked no later than Nov. 5 and received by the county Board of Elections no later than Nov. 12.
Voters can also drop off an early mail ballot in person at their county Board of Elections or a poll site no later than 9 p.m. on Nov. 5, or bring the ballot to an early voting poll site between Oct. 26 and Nov. 3.
For more information on voting by mail, visit vote.nyc/RequestBallot.