Its New York’s turn to vote in the presidential primary election, early voting starts Saturday. This election is expected to be unprecedented in the number of absentee ballots New Yorkers will be voting with.
This is all due to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive order he signed back in April which required election officials to send pre-paid absentee ballots to every registered voter who requested one. This is one way Cuomo is balancing having an election during a pandemic.
But some people are concerned with how safe it is to cast your ballot at the mailbox, including President Trump. However, for those concerned voters in New York state, you will still have the option to vote in person.
Democratic Commissioner of Chautauqua County Norman Green says with two options to vote this year, it’s his job make sure citizens are practicing their due diligence. Green says there is a system in place to help minimize anyone looking to take advantage of it, by attempting to vote twice.
“If you already voted by absentee, you don’t have to come, in New York state if you do decide to come, you do decide to come in person, then we set aside your absentee, because we are not going to count the absentees until a week after the primary date,” Green said.
But Green says it is no easy task to manage all the mail in ballots, especially for some of the larger counties in New York state.
“Onondaga County which is 5 times bigger than Chautauqua so its 5 times more difficult probably 10 times more difficult the bigger it gets the more complex it gets and the layers of work that has to be done,” Green said.
As for if absentee ballots will continue into the November election, Green says it is not a factor for Chautauqua County because they are prepared.
“We’re prepared for it to happen, if the governor tells us were going to do an all-mail election, the legislator tells us that, then Chautauqua county is prepared, certainly it’s pretty easy for us we have 80,000 voters in New York City they have 4 million voters so that’s a gargantuan task that I wouldn’t want to personally take on,” Green said.
If you would like to vote by mail you have until June 22 to apply, but you will have apply for that application to vote by mail in person.
