“Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. It’s our chance to make our voices heard and help determine the future of our communities, state and nation. But traditionally, voting has been held on a single day during certain hours, an unnecessarily limited window that fails to recognize the extremely busy lives that New Yorkers lead. New laws I helped pass earlier this year, though, finally change that, because people shouldn’t have to sacrifice paid work hours, family time and other obligations just to vote.

“These laws will help increase voter turnout and ensure accessibility, equity and efficiency. We established a nine-day early voting period before any election, during which polling locations will be open for at least eight hours on weekdays and five hours on weekends (Ch. 6 of 2019). Further, hardworking New Yorkers who are unable to vote during non-work hours are allowed up to three paid hours of time off to vote.

“To help counties implement these changes, I fought for $10 million in the state budget to help offset the cost of the additional poll hours and $14.7 million for new electronic poll books and ballot printers.

“This change helps ensure that voting is accessible and easy – no one should have to jump through hoops to cast a ballot. I encourage all New Yorkers to participate in the democratic process. Early voting for this year’s general election begins on Saturday, Oct. 26. Contact your local board of elections for early voting sites in your area.”

For more information go to the NYC Board of Elections website here: https://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/html/home/home.shtml