109th AD Voting Guide: The 2020 Election

In July, the New York State Legislature passed legislation to ensure that all voters have the opportunity to cast their ballot in a safe and secure manner for the November 2020 general election. These included 3 major pieces of legislation, which have been signed into by the Governor. Please take note of these changes as they relate to this year’s election cycle and as always, please feel free to reach out to my office at fahyp@nyassembly.gov or (518) 455–4178 with any questions or concerns you might have.

• Voters may request an absentee ballot and cite concern about COVID-19 (note: select “temporary illness” as “cause” on your absentee ballot application) as a valid excuse.
• Voters may request an absentee ballot until October 27th online, by email, fax, or postmark an application or letter of application by mail for an absentee ballot. (Please be warned that despite this deadline, the Post Office has advised they cannot guarantee timely delivery of ballots applied for less than 15 days before an election.)
• November 2nd is the last day to apply in-person at your local county Board of Elections for an absentee ballot.
• Voters may postmark, mail, or deliver their absentee ballots in-person, up to and including the day of the election, Nov. 3rd. Ballots received the day after the election will still be counted, but they must arrive at your local county BOE by November 10th.
• To request an absentee ballot, learn how to complete your absentee ballot application, and how to submit it, please visit: www.elections.ny.gov/votingabsentee.html

Last year, the state legislature also authorized in-person voting for 10 days leading up to an election. Albany County’s early voting locations, dates, and times are below and any registered voter in the county may cast their ballot at any of these polling places during early voting at the below times:

Voting Deadlines to Know (recap):

• October 27: Last day to postmark an application or letter of application by mail for an absentee ballot.
• November 2: Last day to apply IN-PERSON for an absentee ballot.
• November 3: Last day to postmark and mail-in an absentee ballot. Must be received by the local board of elections no later than Nov. 10th. Military Voter Ballots must be received no later than Nov. 16th.
• November 3: Last day to deliver an absentee ballot IN-PERSON to the local Board of Elections (by someone other than the voter).

Helpful infographics for you to save or print-out leading up to the November 3rd election (click for larger images):

I hope you find this information helpful, and as always, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office with any questions you might have at (518) 455–4178, or fahyp@nyassembly.gov.