Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz - COVID-19 UPDATE: Absentee Ballot Applications to be Sent to All Registered Voters

Absentee Ballot Applications Will Be Sent to All Eligible Registered Voters for June 23 Primary and Special Elections  Application will include postage-paid return option Will be sent to all active and inactive eligible voters in New York State Previously requested absentee ballots for April 28 or June 23 elections will still be honored Applications must be returned to receive absentee ballot  ‌  ‌  ‌ New Absentee Ballot Regulations from Governor Cuomo I am very pleased with the language included in the new Executive Order (202.23) issued by Governor Cuomo to ensure that all eligible voters in New York State will receive an absentee ballot application for the upcoming June 23 election. This is an important step towards ensuring that our democracy can continue operating amidst a global pandemic, and builds on the progress made after New York enacted several other election proposals that I had advocated for (such as moving the April 28 primary to June 23 and allowing all registered voters to apply for an absentee ballot). Please note that the Board of Elections will only automatically send you the application, not the ballot itself. You must complete this application (or one that you download and print from online) and return it to the Board of Elections by June 16, 2020. If you do not receive the absentee ballot application by mail, you can contact the Board of Elections by telephone (1-866-VOTE-NYC a.k.a. 1-866-868-3692) or by visiting their office in person (although I highly recommend avoiding an in-person visit if you can due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic). It is not decided yet when the applications will be mailed out to all active and inactive eligible voters. If you have already applied for an absentee ballot for either the April 28 election or the June 23 election, that request will be honored for the June 23 election. DO NOT FORGET: You must sign your absentee ballot application or it may not be processed and you may not receive your absentee ballot. The application will be sent with a postage-paid return option, but just in case the address where Bronx voters should send their application is 1780 Grand Concourse, 5 Fl, Bronx, NY 10457. The Bronx Board of Elections can be contacted by telephone at 718-299-9017. The citywide Board of Elections can be reached by their voting hotline (1-866-VOTE-NYC) or by email (Electioninfo@boe.nyc.ny.us). The Board of Elections will send the absentee ballot itself at least 32 days in advance of the election (May 22), or soon after they receive and process your application if it is submitted after that date. Once the absentee ballot is received, you must complete it and it must be postmarked no later than the day before the election (June 22). It must be received by the Board of Elections no later than 7 days after the election (June 30) to be counted. To complete an absentee ballot, here are instructions from the NYC Board of Elections: "Fold the ballot and put it in a smaller envelope. Sign and date the back of the envelope. Seal the envelope and put it in the larger envelope that is addressed to the Board of Elections. Mail or deliver your ballot to your borough Board of Elections office." A few notes from me on this process: If you are not currently staying at the location where you are registered to vote, you will have to request an absentee ballot application separately from this automatic mailing. Theoretically, if you have arranged with USPS to forward your mail it should arrive at your temporary address, however I would not personally trust USPS right now to ensure that you receive this application in a timely manner. I highly encourage eligible voters to complete their absentee ballot application and the ballot itself as soon as possible. Given the difficulties we have had with USPS mail service in recent weeks, I anticipate that delays are highly likely and I do not want anyone's vote to be discarded because paperwork was not received on time. As of now, in-person and early voting have not been cancelled. I anticipate there will be discussion about how to safely operate in-person voting, but it is possible that the Board of Elections will reduce the number of polling sites due to insufficient staffing. In my opinion, everyone should plan to vote by mail for the June 23 election. There are no special election in our district for June 23., only Democratic primaries. If there are any questions or concerns about the absentee ballot voting process, please contact my office at DinowitzJ@nyassembly.gov or by leaving a voicemail at 718-796-5345. You can also visit the NYC Board of Elections website at vote.nyc. Thank You to Election Workers! It is important to remember that many members of our community are not able to work from home because their jobs are essential to helping people stay alive during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you want to share your gratitude for essential workers, please send me your photos, videos, links, or whatever you have and I will try to include it in a future newsletter. Election workers are the unsung heroes of our democracy, from citizen pollworkers to Board of Elections technicians and administrative staff. These essential workers are being asked to step up and dramatically expand New York's absentee voting apparatus so that our elections can continue unimpeded by pandemic. Thank you! EDITOR'S NOTE: This comes from the state legislator who says his constituents are getting mail weeks late if they get any mail. The absentee ballots will probably arrive after the election. By the way Mr. Steven Richmond Senior Law Advisor to the Board of Elections told me Friday that the Board of Elections is not responsible if the USPS can't deliver mail on time. The Absentee Balot then has to be mailed back to the BOE. Why not just push the primary back to its old September date this year. What are you state legislators trying to do, haven't you sickened or killed enough Board of Elections employees?