skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Sunday, December 22, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Suspect Held After Woman Set on Fire in NY Subway Car Dies; Trump threatens to take back Panama Canal over 'ridiculous' fees; A year of growth for juvenile diversion programs in SD; The ups and downs of combating rural grocery deserts in ND; Report: AZ one of eight Western states that could improve conservation policies.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Congress passes a last-minute budget stopgap. Trump's second-term tariffs could harm farmers and future budget cuts could reduce much-needed federal programs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural folks could soon be shut out of loans for natural disasters if Project 2025 has its way, Taos, New Mexico weighs options for its housing shortage, and the top states providing America's Christmas trees revealed.

NY Legislation Expands Vote-by-Mail Access

play audio
Play

Monday, July 31, 2023   

Before New York's legislative session ended, lawmakers expanded vote-by-mail access.

The New York Early Mail Voter Act allows registered voters to get early mail voting ballots through an application to their local Board of Elections.

Currently, 35 states and Washington, D.C. allow "no excuse" absentee voting. Though Census data finds less than half of New Yorkers voted in an unconventional manner, the change between 2016 and 2020 was more than 35%.

Brett Edkins, managing director for policy and political affairs at Stand Up America, said New York voters will benefit.

"Allowing vote by mail will increase voter turnout across our state, especially among harder-to-reach populations," said Edkins. "Young people, voters of color, elderly voters. Those who have busy schedules or are juggling multiple jobs or childcare responsibilities. This bill would allow them to vote in the privacy and security of their own home."

This law also requires New York State's Board of Elections to establish and maintain an electronic early mail ballot application transmittal system, so voters can apply for an early mail-in ballot online.

The bill is awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul's signature.

Confidence in elections is at an all time low. An Associated Press-NORC poll finds around half of all adults have confidence in elections.

Brianna Cea - founder and executive director of youth-led self-empowerment group Generation Vote - said misinformation abounds when it comes to voting integrity, despite the fact that voting by mail has been allowed for a long time.

"Across the country there have been states that have had vote by mail options like Colorado and others for years," said Cea. "And there have not been, you know, these rampant claims of voter fraud or whatever - that people are spreading in terms of misinforming our communities about the way that vote by mail is conducted."

In New York, there have only been 23 criminal convictions for voter fraud in the state, only five of which were related to fraudulent use of absentee ballots.

Across the U.S. there have been more than 1,400 cases of voter fraud, resulting in a little over 1,200 convictions, and 48 civil penalties - that out of hundreds of millions of ballots cast - according to the Heritage Foundation.



Disclosure: Stand Up America contributes to our fund for reporting on Campaign Finance Reform/Money in Pol, Civic Engagement, Civil Rights. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A survey from the American Heart Association revealed 79% of respondents neglect their health during the holidays. Many say they find this time of year more stressful than income tax season.
(deagreez/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Holiday travel is in full swing and for many, so is the stress. The American Heart Association of Missouri has health tips for anyone with heart …


Health and Wellness

play sound

By Amy Felegy for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Collabo…

Health and Wellness

play sound

With Christmas less than a week away, experts are giving advice on how seniors and the community can fight against social isolation. A United Health …


A new University of Miami study has found buildings in Sunny Isles Beach and Surfside have been sinking by 2-8 centimeters between 2016 and 2023. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

When the Champlain Towers South collapsed in Surfside in 2021 taking 98 lives, it sent shock waves across South Florida. The tragedy has left …

Environment

play sound

Rural communities across Massachusetts are benefiting from state grants aimed at strengthening the local food supply and building climate resilience…

Dairy digesters remove methane from liquified animal waste. The gas can then be used to generate power. (Lance Cheung/USDA)

Environment

play sound

Three environmental nonprofits filed suit Wednesday against the California Air Resources Board to oppose the expansion of a program allowing oil and g…

Environment

play sound

New York lawmakers are focusing on electrifying municipal buildings. Buildings statewide make up 32% of New York's greenhouse gas emissions and …

Social Issues

play sound

North Dakota is expected to rejoin the debate over whether all school children, regardless of their family income, should have access to no-cost …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021