Voters will be mailed absentee ballot applications for June 23 primary, Cuomo says

With primary elections approaching in June, New York officials want to make it easier for residents to vote by mail rather than at the polls while social distancing guidelines are in place.

All registered voters in New York will automatically be mailed an application for an absentee ballot for the primary elections scheduled on June 23, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced at his daily briefing this morning.

The applications will be postage-paid, he said, so that residents will not need a stamp in order to send back the application and request a ballot.

“It makes no sense to me to tell people you have to put your life at risk and violate social distancing to come out to vote,” Cuomo said, referring to primary elections held in Wisconsin earlier this month, when crowds of voters waited in lines for hours to vote with many polling places closed due to the pandemic.

Polling places will still remain open for the primaries, he said, but mailing absentee ballot applications could make it easier for voters to participate without risking infection.

“If you want to vote, we should send you a ballot so you don’t have to come out and get on line,” he said. 

New York residents have always been able to request absentee ballots by mail, email or fax, but this marks the first time voters will automatically receive applications for absentee ballots mailed to their address.

Village elections and school board elections, which were originally scheduled for March and May respectively, remain postponed until further notice.

Residents may register to vote or notify the Board of Elections of a change in address using the New York DMV website.

Use the state’s voter registration lookup tool to check your voter registration status and current polling place.