Dear John,
The right to vote has rarely seemed so precious, or so precarious.
Showing up to vote in person sure doesn’t sound like a great idea during a public health crisis caused by an extremely transmissible virus. While the Board of Elections is working on protocols to make the polls safe, many voters will be understandably anxious about crowded poll sites, long lines, and computers, pens, and poll-books touched by many people.
But this pandemic has underscored just how important it is to elect leaders who will take decisive action to protect public health and support those who are sacrificing to keep others safe and healthy.
Fortunately, thanks to strong advocacy, this year all New York voters will be able to vote by mail if you request an absentee ballot. You should have received an application in the mail, or you can request one online at nycabsentee.com [[link removed]] .
After we all watched in horror at the long lines of voters lining up outside crowded polling places for the Wisconsin primary at the beginning of stay at home orders, Governor Cuomo signed an executive order allowing people to request absentee ballots if you fear contracting the coronavirus (and who doesn’t?). Here’s how to vote from home:
Request your absentee ballot. You can do so online in 2 minutes at nycabsentee.com or fill out the application form that should have been mailed to you in the last week or so and mail it back in. The deadline to request your ballot is June 16 (and the sooner you do it the sooner you will get the ballot). If you are requesting an absentee ballot out of concern about COVID-19, please check the box for “Temporary Illness” on the application. (The governor’s executive order expanded the definition).
Receive your absentee ballot in the mail. Fill it out using blue or black ink.
Mail your completed ballot by June 22 to your county Board of Elections, using the postage-paid envelope you will receive with the ballot and sign the back of the envelope as instructed.
Last year, new legislators in Albany, led by Brooklyn’s own Senator Zellnor Myrie (who chairs the Senate Elections Committee), helped update New York’s outdated voting laws to allow early voting. So if you don’t request your absentee ballot in time, you can still vote in person, either at an early polling site in the 10 days before the election or at your regular polling site on June 23rd. You can look up your polling site and your early voting site here [[link removed]] . (Wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines to keep yourself, other voters, and pollsite workers safe).
Voting by mail is important to reduce the spread of the virus right now, but we can’t stop with just June. Senator Alessandra Biaggi has proposed a bill to expand absentee ballot access to the general election in November. Expanding access to mail in ballots is a no-brainer for making voting more accessible.
If you are not yet registered to vote , you have until May 29 to register and update your registration. If you’ve moved recently, you have until June 3 to update the address on file with the BOE. Go here [[link removed]] to register or update your address. If you’re not sure, you can look up your voter registration status here [[link removed]] .
Of course, New York State is not the only place where the future of our democracy hangs in the balance in this year’s election -- so I was thrilled to see over the weekend that a federal judge struck down a Florida law [[link removed]] requiring people with serious criminal convictions to pay court fines and fees before they can register to vote as unconstitutional, declaring that such a requirement would amount to a discriminatory poll tax aimed at largely African-American, low-income Florida resident. Despite the virus, despite efforts at voter suppression, the work to enfranchise voters and insist on a more expansive democracy continues.
Make sure you are part of that work. Request [[link removed]] your absentee ballot today.
Brad
In this email:
City and State Updates
Upcoming Events
City and State Updates
Latest impacts: The United States is nearing 100,000 deaths from the pandemic, a breathtaking toll on all of our communities (check out the New York Times staggering visual tribute). Here in New York City, 16,469 people are confirmed to have died from the virus, with another 4,747 presumed. 51,178 people have been hospitalized, and 195,452 positive cases have been identified.
Small Gatherings: The Governor issued an executive order allowing small gatherings of 10 or fewer people to take place indoors. While I understand the longing of observant communities to gather in person to worship, this guidance contradicts the advice of public health officials, and risks accelerating virus transmission. I urge you to continue avoiding indoor gatherings, to follow social distancing guidelines, and to be a force within your circles for encouraging others to do so as well.
Reopening Steps: Gov. Cuomo announced that professional sports leagues can begin training camps (without fans) and veterinarians can return to work this week. Another two regions reached the benchmarks for the first phase of reopening on Monday. Here are New York State’s metrics for reopening and industries reopening by phase. On Friday, Mayor de Blasio adjusted the way that metrics will be counted to determine NYC’s readiness for the first phase of reopening: rather than 10-14 days of consecutive decline of hospitalizations, entry into ICUs and positive tests, the measure will now be 10-14 days of numbers falling below a certain threshold.
Testing Sites: There are now 150 places where New Yorkers can get tested across the city. Find info here: nyc.gov/covidtest.
New State Loan: Applications open today for the New York Forward Loan Fund (NYFLF) open today. This is a new state loan aimed at supporting small businesses that did not receive the federal loans.
State Legislature: After nearly 2 months away from Albany, the state legislature will convene on Tuesday to consider a number of coronavirus relief related bills. It’s about time!
Upcoming Events
TONIGHT: Tuesday, May 26 from 6-8 PM: Small Business Townhall with Brooklyn Elected Officials. Register here [[link removed]] .
Join us to discuss the challenges facing small businesses. We will be talking about the PPP and EIDL programs, our new interest-free loan program [[link removed]] , ideas for rent relief and lease restructuring, and we are eager to hear from you about other ideas to support small businesses.
Thursday, May 28 from 4:30 to 6:30 PM: IntegrateNYC D15 Middle School Youth Council. Sign up here. [[link removed]]
All 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in D15 (Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Fort Greene, Gowanus, Kensington, Park Slope, Sunset Park, Red Hook, or Windsor Terrace) are invited to join IntegrateNYC D15 Middle School Youth Council for their first virtual youth-led meeting on Thursday, May 28 from 4:30 to 6:30 PM. Also, encourage middle schoolers in your life to take Integrate’s D15 middle school student survey: bit.ly/INYCd15survey [[link removed]] (correct link this time).
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