Polls Are Closed: Here's What Next for New York

NEW YORK, NY (11/07/2023) (readMedia)-- Voters across New York State took to the polls today with very minor issues or irregularities. Common Cause/NY ran an Election Protection program in New York City at poll sites in southern Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Volunteers served as either stationary monitors or as roving poll monitors to assist voters with urgent questions and ensure poll sites are taking adequate safety and security precautions. Nearly 400,000 voters cast their ballots during the Early Voting period, or just above 3% of registered voters, according to the NYS Board of Elections. Overall, most voters had a seamless voting process thanks to local Boards of Elections.

"Today's successful Election Day is in no small part thanks to early voting. Accessibility, not turnout, will always be how we measure the success of early voting, which alleviates the burden on voters and provides election officials with extra time to ensure a seamless voting process," said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause New York. "While there's no one solution to boosting turnout, we continue to urge Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign legislation that would consolidate local, odd-year elections with the national, even-year election cycle. This change will boost turnout, reduce voter fatigue, and minimize stressors on the local Boards of Elections. It's a win for the voters, who will hear directly from local candidates about local issues."

Common Cause/NY has supported legislation (S3505B / A4282B) that would consolidate local elections outside of New York City to even-numbered years, which would reduce the frequency of elections and allow voters to vote for local, state, and national races at the same time. The bill is currently awaiting signature from Gov. Hochul.

Here's what to expect now post-election day:

• Trusted election officials are counting and verifying every ballot to ensure that every vote is counted. Our election system is safe and secure and follows the law.
• In New York, thanks to a new pro-voter law, absentee ballots are counted as they come in. However, election night results are not complete. This is because:
  • The deadline for receipt of absentee ballots is Tuesday, November 14th and absentee ballots will continue to be counted as they are received.
  • Affidavit ballots will be canvassed four days after the election.
• We caution against candidates declaring victory too early in close races.
• Election night results will include all ballots cast on election day and during early voting, as well as valid absentee ballots that have been received through early voting.