In the wake of coronavirus, in person voting is risky. Everyone should be voting by mail. But I live in New ayork, and New York restricts vote by mail to those who satisfy one of four conditions:
- Absent from your county or, if a resident of New York City absent from said city, on Election Day.
- Unable to appear at the polls due to temporary or permanent illness or disability; or because you are the primary care giver of one or more individuals who are ill or physically disabled.
- A resident or patient of a Veterans Health Administration Hospital.
- Detained in jail awaiting Grand Jury action or confined in prison after conviction for an offense other than a felony.
That means, in the absence of any changes to state law (which may not even be constitutional - the reasons for absentee voting are specified in the state constitution), you need to certify that you cannot vote in person for one of these reasons.
So, for the upcoming elections, it turns out that I'm going to be either "out of town" or dealing with a "temporary illness". I encourage anyone else living in New York or a state with similar state laws to do the same. Tell your friends, families, and neighbors that they should find themselves out of town or too sick to appear at their polling stations too - the fewer people who show up, the less likely we are to contribute to a public health crisis. Make sure to put in your application ASAP so that you get your ballot in time for the election.
Stay safe everyone.