NY Absentee Ballots Can Be Returned To Hundreds Of Drop Boxes

NEW YORK, NY — New Yorkers will be allowed to return their absentee ballots at hundreds of drop boxes across the state in the coronavirus era, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday. The governor said he will sign an executive order allowing mail-in ballots to be returned at over 300 drop boxes. Ballots can also be dropped off at the county Board of Elections office beginning Tuesday, at early voting sites from Oct. 24 through Nov. 1, and at polling sites on Election Day, which falls on Nov. 3.

Cuomo last month signed legislation to open up mail-in voting for all New Yorkers who are afraid they may contract the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease. The announcement comes as about 1 percent of the 57,826 tests in New York came back positive for COVID-19. The number of hospitalizations was 445 and five New Yorkers died from the disease Monday.

At his coronavirus briefing Tuesday, the governor also unveiled the state's new school district coronavirus "report card." As schools reopened this week, all districts must report daily data on the COVID-19 infection rate and new cases at each school. The data will be publicly available online here.

"It's a simple website," Cuomo said. "Even I could use it."