Hochul to sign new law preventing absentee ballots from being tossed for stray marks

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'No ballot should be disqualified because of a single errant pen stroke,' said Gov. Hochul. The law takes effect immediately, just before the upcoming June primary.

Voter drops off her absentee ballot during early voting at the Park Slope Armory YMCA on October 27, 2020Voter drops off her absentee ballot during early voting at the Park Slope Armory YMCA on October 27, 2020Local election boards will be required to accept more absentee ballots under a new law Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to sign Friday.

New Yorkers have relied on absentee ballots throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in record-breaking numbers. In 2020, election officials distributed more than 2 million absentee ballots to voters statewide, roughly seven times the number distributed in 2018, according to data from the state Board of Elections. While officials counted 1.7 million returned absentee ballots, more than 77,000 were tossed out for a variety of reasons, including stray marks.

“We should always look for ways to ensure more qualified voters can participate in democracy, and this law will remove another technicality that has been used to eliminate valid votes," Myrie added.Common Cause New York's Susan Lernersigned the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act Good government groups heralded the change as a logical fix to a longstanding weakness in state election law.

 

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Democrats seek to rig NYS elections.

There should be no possibility of errant pen strokes. Paper ballots filled out with assistance from a electronic screen, with automated tallying and receipts should be universal.

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