Voting absentee in New York City just got a digital upgrade in time for the Nov. 3 election.
The Board of Elections released a new absentee tracking system to help voters confirm their request to vote-by-mail and lookup the status of their ballot after its been submitted through the mail.
News of the tracking program follows a primary election that delivered some absentee ballots to voters on or even after election day. Election officials are expecting an even bigger flood of mail-in votes in November than for the June primary, after which results were delayed for six weeks.
The BOE says its new electronic tracking program will help voters ensure their absentee ballot was collected and counted, and give them an opportunity to fix it if not.
In New York, registered voters are not automatically signed up for a mail-in ballot for this year's general election. But anyone in the state can request one, and because of COVID-19, everyone is eligible.
The state's voter registration deadline for the Nov. 3 election falls on Oct. 9. Anyone registering in person or choosing to mail in their registration forms must do so by that date. CLICK HERE for the online registration portal.
The Board of Elections says ballots will go out to New York City voters starting the third week of September.
