Secure absentee ballot drop boxes for November election: N.Y. Sen. Hoylman

ALBANY — Neither snow nor rain nor Postal Service problems will stop New Yorkers from voting in November — if a plan to use secure drop boxes is approved by state lawmakers.

In the wake of the state’s problem-plagued primary, New York Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) is introducing legislation Friday authorizing local Boards of Elections to establish secure absentee ballot drop box locations ahead of the November election.

Hoylman says the measure would give voters a convenient way to submit absentee ballots and ease concerns about coronavirus, postmarks and an overwhelmed U.S. Postal Service, which is already facing backlogs and delays that he attributed to the Trump administration.

“Donald Trump continues to undermine the legitimacy of mail-in absentee ballots by attacking the U.S. Postal Service,” Hoylman said. “New York can hit back by establishing absentee ballot drop boxes across the state to help ensure the integrity of these ballots.”

The bill comes after roughly a quarter of absentee ballots cast in the city in June were invalidated over postmark issues and other problems, including many voters receiving them too close to election day.

President Trump, meanwhile, has railed against mail-in voting for months, claiming without evidence that the use of absentee ballots will lead to widespread fraud.

Critics have also accused Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, the recently installed head of the Postal Service, of actively working to slow down mail service at Trump’s behest.

DeJoy, a top Republican donor, denied those claims last week before Congress, but Democrats have said additional funds are needed to help the cash-strapped agency handle the increase in mail-in ballots expected this November.

While state lawmakers have already approved a host of measures meant to address some of the problems exposed by the primary, Hoylman said his bill would “eliminate the middleman” and establish “direct election points for absentee ballots that would be inexpensive and secure.”

Several other states including California, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, and Washington have allowed ballot drop boxes for years.

Under current state law, voters are already allowed to drop off absentee ballots at poll sites or board of elections office on Election Day or during early voting.

Hoylman’s measure would go further by authorizing local election boards to choose drop-off locations, and would require information about them to be posted on their website. It would also direct the New York State Board of Elections to come up with rules and regulations regarding the chain of custody, pick-up times, proper labeling, and security of the drop boxes.

An absentee ballot would be considered timely and received by a Board of Elections as long as a voter deposited their ballot in one of the boxes before polls close on Election Day.

“Voters can continue to stay healthy and vote absentee and we can assist boards of election count every ballot cast,” Hoylman added.