ALBANY – Governor Kathy Hochul, Friday, signed legislation to allow voting by absentee ballot due to the COVID-19 pandemic through 2022.
The measure continues to allow New Yorkers to request an absentee ballot during the pandemic where there is a risk of contracting or spreading disease that may cause illness to the voter or other members of the public. This legislation first became law in July of 2020, and expired December 31, 2021.
The governor also proposed in her 2022 State of the State message a number of proposals to strengthen voting rights protections in New York, including a state-level voting rights act to protect against voter suppression, improving language access for voters, lowering the voter registration deadline from 25 days to 10 days before Election Day, and requiring polling locations on college campuses.
