ALBANY (WBEN) — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday said she plans to make a push for a new measure in 2022 that will allow New York voters to cast ballots by mail.
“I believe everyone should be able to vote by mail,” the governor said at a news conference in Albany. “That's a radical proposition to some and to others it just makes sense.”
Voters in November rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have done away with the state’s list of requirements to obtain an absentee ballot, as well as ending the requirement that voters be registered to vote 10 days prior to an election.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation ahead of the 2020 presidential election that temporarily allowed voters to submit an absentee ballot amid the pandemic.
However, in a typical year, voters can only obtain an absentee ballot if they will be out of their county on Election Day, have a disability – either permanent or temporary – that prevents them from voting in person, are caring for a patient of a Veterans Health Administration Hospital or are detained in jail/prison awaiting trial.
Some New York lawmakers have sought to change the voting laws, to make it easier to obtain absentee ballots and Gov. Hochul appears to be on board.
“I want New York State to be a leader,” she said. “I’ll be working with all my partners to come up with a very bold and ambitious plan.”
Hochul is expected to unveil her top priorities as governor in her 2022 State of the State address on Jan. 5.
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