Here’s what you need to know
to vote in New York this election
BY MARK HALLUM
In case you haven’t heard, a
global pandemic has forced
democracy to adapt in a number
of ways and your best bet of
having your voice heard in the
Nov. 3 presidential election may
come with a number of obstacles
this time around.
For New York, as in other
places, this has come in form of
absentee ballots being made available
to anyone who requests to
cast their vote by mail in order to
avoid other humans who may be
carrying COVID-19 and has come
with a variety of dysfunctions as
seen in the June 23 primaries.
So consider this article an explainer
of how to cast your vote
in a way that guarantees it will
count.
Dates to remember
If you are not registered to
vote, you will need to do so by
Oct. 9. If you are registered to
vote and wish to submit a mail-in
ballot, you must fi le a request by
Oct. 27.
Once you receive a ballot,
you’re encouraged to fi ll it out
right away and then mail it back
right away, or drop it off at Board
of Elections offi ces citywide before
Oct. 24.
Recent cutbacks at the U.S.
Postal Service, however, have
caused delays in mailing, so keep
this in mind if you’re opting for
a mail-in ballot. The Board of
Elections will accept any mail-in
ballot postmarked by Nov. 3.
Early voting begins on Oct. 24
and runs through Nov. 1. During
this period, those who opted for
mail-in ballots can drop them
off at their nearest early voting
site. Anyone who opted not to
mail-in their vote can visit their
designated early voting site and
cast their vote in person.
Nov. 3, of course, is Election
Day, and polling places will be
open citywide. If you haven’t
voted by mail or voted early,
you can vote in person at your
designated polling place. If you
received a mail-in ballot and
PHOTO BY TODD MAISEL Friday, Oct. 9, marks the deadline for anyone to register to vote in this November’s general election.
haven’t yet returned it, you can
also bring it to your local polling
place and submit it there.
Absentee ballots
COVID-19 made the need for
absentee voting critical in that it
reduced crowding at polling locations
and prior to the pandemic, a
New Yorker had to meet certain
criteria qualify for a mail-in ballot
such as being absent from the fi ve
boroughs or the state on election
day.
Governor Andrew Cuomo
opened the fl oodgates to mail-in
voting in April when he signed
an executive order making it
available to all for the June 23
primary. That order was eventually
extended through the Nov. 3
election.
The deadline to apply for an
absentee ballot online is Oct. 27
and offi cial last day to have your
envelope postmarked is on Nov.
3. Another surefi re way of being
counted is by dropping off your
ballot at a polling site or your
county BOE offi ce.
One thing to remember is that
your absentee ballot could come
with the words “Offi cial absentee
military ballot,” regardless of
whether or not you serve in the
military.
The New York City Campaign
Finance Board explains that normally,
these ballots would come
as “absentee/military.” The slash
may have been included in the
June primary ballots but do not
exist this time around, though the
CFB assures voters that this is just
a design change; they are perfectly
valid for civvies.
If your ballot has any errors in
regard to your personal information,
which could be directly on
the envelope, contact the BOE by
calling 1-866-VOTE-NYC or by
emailing them at apply4absentee@
boe.nyc.
Early voting
Voters can show up early to
vote, just fi nd one of the many
poll sites that will be open from
Oct. 24 to Nov. 1.
A full list of early voting sites
in the fi ve boroughs are listed on
the New York City BOE page and
can be accessed here or you can
search for your early voting polls
site here.
Polling site safety
The Board of Elections will
continue to take great precautions
at each polling site, both for
early voting and on Election Day,
to protect in-person voters and
ballot workers from contracting
COVID-19.
All in-person voters will be required
to wear masks and practice
social distancing when they show
up at their polling places. All staff
on duty must also abide by these
rules. Hand sanitizer will be
available at each polling location,
and voting booths will be socially
distanced and regularly cleaned.
Security of mail-in voting
Despite what some might have
you believe, mail-in voting is safe
and secure. Other states have
been voting by mail for years,
and there have been no reports
of widespread fraud of any sort.
The president, himself, requested
a mail-in ballot for this election.
If you requested an absentee
ballot by mail, your options are to
return the completed ballot by mail,
or drop them off at the local Board
of Elections offi ce, your local early
voting location during the early voting
period, or at your local polling
place on Election Day. No one can
vote more than once, as no one can
receive more than one ballot.
The Board of Elections is tracking
each ballot sent by mail. You
can check the status of your ballot
online at their website, nycabsentee.
com/tracking.
Board of Elections offices
If you receive a mail-in absentee
ballot and you wish to drop
the completed ballot off before
early voting or election day, as
noted, you can bring them to
your local Board of Elections
offi ce weekdays during business
hours. The Manhattan offi ce is at
200 Varick St., 10th Floor. Call
212-886-2100 with any questions.
For more voting information,
visit vote.nyc.
With reporting by Robert
Pozarycki
Schneps Media Oct. 8, 2020 17
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