Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today signed legislation (S.8130-D/A.10516-A) extending the deadline to submit absentee ballots until the day of the election. To be counted, primary ballots must be postmarked by June 23rd. The Governor previously issued Executive Orders allowing all New Yorkers to vote absentee in the June 23rd primary elections and ensuring every New Yorker registered to vote receives a postage-paid absentee ballot application in the mail.

The Governor also announced he will issue an Executive Order extending the deadline for school districts to receive school budget ballots. To be counted, school budget ballots can be accepted by hand delivery through 5pm on June 9th and received by mail through June 16th by the school district. 

"The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our world, and while we are making great progress and the numbers keep going down, no New Yorker should have to choose between their health and their right to vote," Governor Cuomo said. "Extending the deadline to submit absentee ballots builds on our previous Executive Orders to make it easier for New Yorkers to vote absentee in the upcoming primary election and it will help to increase voter participation as we continue to fight this virus."

Senator Zellnor Myrie said, "After we've seen upwards of 23,000 New Yorkers die, we made the decision that their constitutional right to vote should not be impeded by a pandemic, that democracy, even in a pandemic, should survive. That is what this bill is about. New Yorkers should not be impeded from picking their leaders because of this pandemic. Participating in your democracy is about picking the leaders who you want to lead us through this crisis."

Assembly Member Aravella Simotas said, "Everyone can agree that elections should be fair and open to everyone. The coronavirus pandemic has forced us to reexamine how we administer elections in the great state of New York. It has also challenged us to put political differences aside and think about the collective while answering a simple question—How do we build a more perfect union? Expanding the use of absentee ballots and permitting New Yorkers to vote from home was an obvious answer, but a challenging endeavor. It is my hope that moving forward, we can build on the mechanisms we created for this year. I am grateful that Governor Cuomo led the charge by Executive Order to start this trend, and look forward to working with him to codify these provisions into the law permanently as we move forward. Excelsior."