State will allow voters to cast mail-in ballots because of COVID-19

New York state will allow most voters to cast their ballots by mail in the November general election, joining a growing list of states that have expanded mail-in voting to address the potential spread of the coronavirus at polling places.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, signed a bill Thursday allowing voters to request an absentee ballot if they cannot show up at a polling location because of the risk of contracting or spreading an illness, effectively permitting the state’s more than 12 million registered voters to vote by mail.

But with only 10 weeks until Election Day, the challenges of administering an election predominantly by mail will be especially pronounced in New York, following the state’s uneven handling of its primary just two months ago.

Nearly 40% of voters cast mail-in ballots in the state’s June 23 primary — when an executive order authorized wider use of voting by mail — compared with as few as 4% in previous elections. The surge overwhelmed election officials and resulted in a weekslong delay for results in many races.

The problems in New York were repeatedly cited by President Donald Trump, who has sought to undermine mail-in voting, which he has falsely disparaged as rife with fraud — even as legitimate concerns mount over the Postal Service’s ability to handle large numbers of ballots.

Election officials are anticipating more than 5 million absentee ballots in the Nov. 3 presidential election, or four times the total number of mail-in ballots received in the June primary, raising the specter that final tallies will not be known for weeks.

“I don’t think it’s realistic to think you’ll have a quick count this November,” Peter S. Kosinski, cochair of the New York State Board of Elections, warned during a state legislative hearing last week.

State officials are weighing several changes to election laws and procedures: Cuomo signed another bill Thursday that will allow voters to apply earlier for a mail-in ballot. Officials are also developing an online mechanism to apply for mail-in ballots.