Gov lets sex fiends cast vote at schools

New Yorkers who plan to vote in next Thursday’s primaries may want to show up early.

For the first time, hundreds of sex offenders on parole will be allowed to vote at polling places in schools — but only between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., state officials said.

Gov. Cuomo in May issued an executive order giving 24,000 sex-offender parolees, including pedophiles, the right to vote.

State law generally bars sex offenders from appearing on school grounds, with a few exceptions. One is being a “participant” in an activity at the school.

The state Department of Correctional Services has created a “special condition” that will allow a paroled sex offender to vote at a polling place in a particular school after getting special permission from his parole officer and a school administrator.

“They may only enter upon the school grounds after 7 p.m. on the date of the election and not remain in or loiter around the school grounds once the voting process is completed,” the rule says.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Marc Molinaro Thursday slammed Cuomo for rushing the order through and potentially “putting thousands of students at risk.”

Molinaro claimed that under his reading of the law, sex offenders can’t vote at polling places at schools because they are prohibited from entering them.

He also said they can’t vote by absentee ballot because they are barred from leaving their county of residence underd ththeiri conditions of parole.

“This governor is encouraging sex offenders to break the law, which might actually violate their parole agreements. If Andrew Cuomo really wanted to, he could have addressed this issue legislatively, but in typical fashion, he tried to govern by fiat and made a total mess of the situation,” Molinaro said.

Some upstate sheriffs slammed the policy and even threatened to arrest sex offenders who show up at schools.

“We’re going to alert the public that Gov. Cuomo’s new policy will allow sexual predators in the schools after 7 p.m. on Election Day. There are student activities in our school up until 9 p.m,” Chemung County Sheriff Chris Moss said.

He said his staff is already reviewing Level 3 sex offenders — the most dangerous classification — in the county to see where they’re eligible to vote.

There are 10,212 Level 3 sex offenders registered in the state.

Moss said it was always his understanding that sex offenders can’t enter a school, but he will now consult with the county district attorney on how to proceed.

Cuomo’s office accused Molinaro of “trying to fearmonger for political gain.”

“The truth is, the governor’s action put New York on par with 16 other states — liberal and conservative — that restore voting rights to the formerly incarcerated and do so in the way that’s exactly prescribed by law,” Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi said.