Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr., (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) announced that he helped pass legislation to allow early voting in New York (A.689-A). Currently, 32 other states and the District of Columbia allow early voting.

“Voting is a fundamental part of what it means to be an American citizen,” said Assemblyman Thiele. “Unfortunately, voter participation in November 2012 was amongst the lowest in the nation with only 59 percent of New York voters casting a ballot. This legislation would allow for early voting, making it easier for people to participate in the electoral process.”

Under the measure, early voting would begin on the third Thursday prior to a general election and go right up until the Thursday before Election Day, providing voters with a 15-day time frame to cast their ballots. In the case of a primary or special election, early voting would run from the second Thursday to the Thursday just prior to Election Day, giving voters up to a week of early voting. Early voting polls would be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each weekday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.

Local boards of elections would designate at least five early voting sites in each county for general, primary and special elections. The local board of elections would automatically be designated as a polling place in each county. Boards of elections would also be allowed to staff early voting sites with appointed inspectors or their own employees. Early votes would be secured throughout the early voting period and the results would not be released prior to the close of polls on Election Day. In addition, the measure includes provisions to prevent fraud and double voting, which are felonies under New York State election law.

“Expanding access to early voting would give disabled voters and those who work non-traditional hours more opportunities to make their voices heard,” Thiele said.