New York to mail absentee ballot applications to all voters for June primary

ALBANY — Every eligible New Yorker will have the option of voting via absentee ballot in the state’s June primary, Gov. Cuomo announced on Friday.

The governor plans to issue an executive order that will require the New York State Board of Elections to automatically send out absentee ballot applications with return postage to all eligible voters for the upcoming contests amid the coronavirus crisis.

“Voting, we still have elections in the midst of all this chaos,” Cuomo said during his daily press briefing from the capital. “Makes no sense to me to tell people you have to put your life at risk and violate social distancing to vote.”

Earlier this month, Cuomo expanded absentee voting for the election, but voters still had to apply for a ballot online, in person or by mail. The new order will automatically send applications to all registered voters.

The state can not go to a full vote-by-mail system because of language in the state Constitution, Melissa DeRosa, the governor’s top aide said.

Some advocates and GOP party leaders had expressed concerns about the idea of mail-in voting amid rumors that Cuomo was eyeing such a system.

Cuomo already moved New York’s Democratic presidential primary election from April 28 to June 23, the same date as the state’s congressional and state Senate and Assembly primaries.

Some special elections originally slated to take place back in March, including a Queens borough president race and a contest to fill the Brooklyn City Council seat formerly held by Rafael Espinal, will be held the same day.

The governor said there is no alternative to allowing people the option to vote via absentee ballot, but keeping polling sites open.

“There’s only two options: Either people go to the polls or people vote by absentee. There’s no other way to do it,” he said. “We’re saying you have both options.”