Cuomo Extends Absentee Mailing Deadline To June 23 Election Day

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — New York voters can mail in their newly-expanded absentee ballots all the way up until the June 23 election, under a bill signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The legislation signed Sunday builds on absentee voting measures previously enacted amid the new coronavirus outbreak, a release states. Under them, all New Yorkers can vote absentee in the June 23 primary and registered voters will receive postage-paid absentee ballot applications in the mail.

The latest measure ensures all ballots postmarked by June 23 will be counted. Cuomo, in a statement, said extending the deadline to submit ballots will help increase voter participation amid the outbreak.

"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," he said.

State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, who pushed for the bill in the Legislature, said in a statement that democracy should survive in the pandemic.

"New Yorkers should not be impeded from picking their leaders because of this pandemic," he said. "Participating in your democracy is about picking the leaders who you want to lead us through this crisis."