Hochul greenlights NY's mail-in voting law. GOP sues right away to undo it
A partisan clash over voting access flared on Wednesday as Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill to make New York the 36th state to allow mail-in voting and Republicans immediately sued to block it.
The legislation, passed by the Democratic-led legislature earlier this year, gives all voters the option to cast ballots by mail if they request them before early voting starts 10 days before an election. It applies to every election, from school board contests to presidential races, and takes effect next year unless derailed by the lawsuit.
Hochul, who held a ceremony in Manhattan on Wednesday to sign a string of election-related bills, touted the addition of mail-in voting as an overdue reform that will increase voter participation and strengthen democracy.
"I wish we could say we're the first," she said. "We're not, because of all kinds of reasons. But today we're going to right the wrong of the past and say it's finally time that people can vote by mail. We saw it work during the pandemic. We can do this.
[link:https://www.recordonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2023/09/21/ny-mail-in-voting-greenlit-what-could-it-mean-for-2024-elections/70908724007/|]
