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Voting rights advocates including the League of Women Voters are advocating for the expansion of absentee voting so that voters who are at high-risk of contracting COVID-19 can apply to vote by absentee.
We are asking the New York State Legislature to pass A.10203/S.8015, a bill to amend the election law in relation to permitting absentee voting, in response to the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19.
Currently, New York's election law only allows an individual to request an absentee ballot based on a list of approved reasons including sickness, caring for a sick or disabled individual, or absence from their county or New York City. These restrictive criteria do not accommodate people who are concerned about the risk voting in-person would pose to their own or others' health.
A.10203/S.8015 would allow New Yorkers to request an absentee ballot if they are unable to appear personally at their polling place because of a public health concern that voting in person could expose themselves or others to that risk.
