COVID leads to election changes; school votes delayed, moved to mail

Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I-Sag Harbor) has announced that Governor Cuomo has issued an Executive Order to delay local special district and village elections until September 15, 2020.

The Executive Order also delays school board elections and budget votes statewide until June 9, 2020. The school board elections and budget votes will all be conducted by mail and all qualified voters will be sent an absentee ballot with return postage paid.

Assemblyman Thiele stated, “Our right to vote is fundamental and a hallmark of our democracy. During this time of crisis, we must ensure that access to voting remains accessible for all registered New Yorkers without compromising public health. Like many of my colleagues, I have been relaying repeated concerns from my constituents about in-person voting, at this time, to the attention of the governor’s office. I am pleased that these important local elections have been delayed or moved to a vote-by-mail system to allow all New Yorkers to safely participate and exercise their right to vote.”