SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Early numbers are in for absentee voting registration. The numbers may surprise you.
Onondaga County Board of Elections Commissioner Michele Sardo says absentee registration is down significantly, from 60,000 applications last year to a mere 3,000 this year. Sardo worries this drop-off is a sign young people aren’t voting.
“All young voters should especially vote in local elections because those elected officials that you’re voting for in local years can go to assemblies and the Senate. They’re the ones that are representing you.”
Sardo says while she wants as much voter participation as possible, no-excuse absentee ballots may be a step too far.
“You need to ask for ID to get a passport, you need an ID. You need an ID for just about anything, your mortgage, or bank account, everything else. Why don’t you need an ID to vote? Just to make sure you are who you are.”
The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is next Monday, October 18th. For more information about the upcoming elections, visit ongov.net/elections.
