#Proposed law would require Board of Elections to provide ‘drop boxes’ for NY voters

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A box of absentee ballots waiting to be counted at the Albany County Board of Elections in Albany, New York.

AP

Under a proposed law, New York election officials would be required to provide “drop boxes” for voters to place their ballots in to avoid the June 23 primary debacle.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan), introduced the legislation, which would authorize local boards of election to install ballot drop boxes at various locations.

He said the option would give voters a convenient alternative to voting in person or mailing their ballots using an overwhelmed Postal Service.

Thousands of ballots in the city were mishandled or declared invalid amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Absentee ballot drop boxes have been in wide use in other states, including California, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, and Washington, for years. Other states, including Georgia, began using drop boxes during the coronavirus pandemic.

Hoylman cited a Post report that more than 84,000 mail-in ballots for the June presidential primary election were invalidated in New York City — a stunning 21% of all ballots received by the Board.

Many of the ballots were disqualified due to issues related to the mail-in process, such as lack of an appropriate postmark or late arrival due to Postal Service backlogs and delays.

Others ballots were disqualified because first time mail-in voters forgot to include their signature.

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

“My new legislation creating secure ballot drop boxes will help absentee voters continue to stay healthy during the pandemic, as well as assist local election boards to collect and count every ballot cast by New Yorkers in November.”

The measure would require election agencies to post the location of ballot drop boxes on their websites the same day they are erected.

An absentee or mail-in ballot would be deemed to be timely received by a Board of Elections if a voter deposited their ballot in a drop box before the close of polls on Election Day.

Meanwhile the state Board of Elections said it dropped its decision to appeal a federal judge’s ruling that ordered election officials to count thousands of mail-in ballots in the city and throughout New York State that were declared invalid for not having a post-mark or arriving at offices shortly after the June 23 primary.

Manhattan Judge Analisa Torres said voters were disenfranchised and denied their constitutional rights after being encouraged by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to vote by absentee ballot as a public health measure during the coronavirus pandemic.

State BOE Commissioners Andrew Spano and Doug Kellner said they changed their position on the issue and directed local elections to count the disputed ballots, as directed by the court.

Ali Najmi, a lawyer for plaintiffs in the ballot case, credited, state Attorney General Letitia James, whose office defends state agencies in court, for withdrawing the appeal.

“We are thankful to Attorney General Tish James for standing with the voters and ensuring these votes will be counted as soon as possible, and not be delayed because of an unnecessary appeal.”