Absentee Ballots

The Vermont Senate has given preliminary approval to a measure that would permanently allow mail-in voting.

Two tight and contentious New York state Senate races have been decided — one in favor of the incumbent Democrat; the other for the Republican challenger. The New York Civil Liberties Union was seeking intervenor status in the latter until the race was decided. Still, the NYCLU says the issue in the race is a broader one that needs attention.

Chris Rosenquest will be the next mayor of Plattsburgh, New York.

There has been record early voting across the country prior to this official Election Day.  In two mostly rural northern New York counties, election officials say lines have been long as people exercise their voting options.

Westchester County legislators are urging New York state lawmakers to allow an additional option for casting absentee ballots in the November election. They cite concerns about COVID-19 as the reason.

Absentee balloting has been the talk of Albany politics since the city’s Democratic primary in September.

Vermont is one of 37 states along with the District of Columbia that allows early voting.  The process will begin at the end of the week and election officials are urging voters to take advantage of it.  While one political party has questions about the distribution of the ballots, others say that’s just political gamesmanship.

Burlington voters go to the polls on June 3rd to vote on a revised school district budget. Some are raising concerns over the absentee ballot process.

Elections officials began counting absentee ballots in Clinton County on Monday amid allegations of potential ballot fraud in two city wards and one legislative district.

All of the six Plattsburgh city council seats were up for election this year. As the campaigns drew close to election day, Republican candidates in two wards, and in some county legislative races, raised concerns over an unusual increase in filings for absentee ballots. Both winners and losers in Tuesday’s races plan to challenge the validity of the absentee ballots.

Republicans in Plattsburgh are considering legal action as they claim mishandling of absentee ballots is increasing as election day looms.