Cuomo To Decide On Extending School Ballot Deadline

NEW YORK — No decision on extending the deadline to receive mail-in school budget ballots will be made until Sunday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday at his daily news conference. "We are looking at that," he said. "We don't have a decision yet."

"I understand the issue," Cuomo said.

The governor gave no indication whether he was looking at extending the deadline to June 16, as state Sen. Pete Harckham had proposed in legislation filed earlier this week, or allowing the ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by June 9, the day of the election, as proposed by Sen. Shelley Mayer.

SEE ALSO: Senators Urge Cuomo To Change School Ballot Deadline

She had sent a letter to the governor with signatures of 27 of her colleagues urging him not disenfranchise voters because vendors the schools districts engaged to print and mail the ballots to all registered voters could not meet the schedule for delivery.

Cuomo had mandated the districts hold their June 9 budget and school board election completely by mail, due to the new coronavirus outbreak.

Some of the ballots were not mailed by their vendors until June 3.

Schools district have been scrambling to add additional drop boxes or extend hours so voters can hand deliver the ballots before the 5 p.m. deadline Tuesday.