PA Williams, AM Richardson, Maya Wiley, BK NAACP, Common Cause/NY Rally to Get Out the Safe IN PERSON Vote

NEW YORK, NY (06/12/2020) (readMedia)-- Today, one day before Early Voting starts in New York, NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Assemblywoman Diana Richardson, Maya Wiley, the Brooklyn NAACP, Brooklyn Voters Alliance and Common Cause/NY joined together to get out the safe vote. For close to two weeks, thousands of New Yorkers have marched for black lives across the city. Now elected officials and voting rights groups are reminding New Yorkers that they have the choice to show up in person and vote too.

WATCH the presser here.

The three ways to vote this June are:

• Early
  • Early voting runs from June 13th to June 21st throughout the state.
  • Boards of Elections will be taking proper health and safety precautions, practicing social distancing and following the most recent CDC sanitary and mass gathering protocol. Machines will be wiped down regularly and locations sanitized every night. The BOE has also purchased screens that act as an additional barrier.
  • This year, there are 79 early voting poll sites, which is 18 more than last year.
  • Voters can find their poll site here.
• Absentee
  • All voters who do not want to vote in person because of COVID-19 must request an absentee ballot by June 16th. Once they fill out the absentee ballot in blue or black ink and sign the envelope properly, they must return it by mail or in person at their poll site or BOE office by June 23rd.
• On Election Day
  • Poll sites throughout the state will be open on Election Day June 23rd from 6am to 9pm.
  • Boards of Elections will be taking proper health and safety precautions, practicing social distancing and following the most recent CDC sanitary and mass gathering protocol. Machines will be wiped down regularly and locations sanitized every night. The BOE has also purchased screens that act as an additional barrier.
  • Voters can find their poll site here.

"We want New Yorkers to know that if they show up for Black Lives Matter in the streets, they also have the choice to show up at the polls to support the policies they're fighting for. Many campaigns are promoting absentee voting, but not alerting voters that they can also vote in-person. New Yorkers need to know all of their options, so they can get out the safe vote!" said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/NY.

"I've been on these streets for weeks protesting and I hope folks remain on the streets until Election Day or even after until our city, state and federal government create the systematic change we demand. I also hope folks vote in the upcoming election so that our demands are heard loud and clear at the ballot box. During the pandemic, it's important that we safely exercise our right to vote by following the new guild lines by the Board of Elections, so I urge New Yorkers to vote by mail or vote early," said Public Advocate Williams.

"New York voters need to know that in addition to absentee, they can vote safely in person during early voting period and on Election Day. Voters from communities of color still face obstacles at the ballot box and are more likely to vote early. We need our neighbors helping each other get to the polls. We need to make sure our voices are heard," said Assemblywoman Diana Richardson.

"Now, more than ever, we need all voters to make their voices heard about who should lead this city out of the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and policing. Early voting helps New York City voters who need or prefer to vote in-person do it more safely. Early voting helps our voters who have disabilities; it helps African American voters and voters who are older. All our voices matter and early voting helps us use them forcefully," said Maya Wiley, Civil Rights Lawyer.

"New Yorkers can vote safely in three different ways: absentee, early, or on Election Day. We ask you to join us in voting to make sure we have legislators and representatives who share our values in the state," said L. Joy Williams, President of the Brooklyn NAACP.

"We are living through a time of extraordinary loss, uncertainty, pain, change, growth, reckoning. And during this time of extraordinary, unprecedented challenges , wielding the power of our vote has never been more important, more necessary. For this June primary election, New Yorkers have unprecedented access to the polls. It may have taken a global pandemic, but New Yorkers will have 3 ways to cast a ballot this June - vote at home, vote early, vote on Election Day. These common sense measures to make it easier and safer to exercise our fundamental right to vote should extend beyond this June to November, and beyond this year. So the fight for voting reform in NY continues. But starting tomorrow, Brooklyn voters like me will have more opportunities than ever before to vote early and vote safely -- 24 poll sites, over 9 days, for 64 hours of early voting. So whether you fill out your ballot in your kitchen today, at the Brooklyn Museum tomorrow, or the school down the street on Election Day, make your voice heard and vote," said Amanda Ritchie, co-founder of Brooklyn Voters Alliance.

Absentee voting has correctly received much attention, but voters with disabilities, those who require translation services and anyone else can also vote in-person safely and securely. But absentee voting doesn't necessarily serve every community's needs. Historically, black voters are more likely to vote early compared to white voters.

Currently, New York State has a very narrow set of reasons as to why voters can request an absentee ballot and vote absentee. Governor Cuomo temporarily expanded those reasons to include anyone who is concerned over the spread of an illness during a state of emergency for the June primary. Senator Biaggi has introduced a bill expanding those qualifications to include the general election and beyond.