NY residents should get ready for voting changes

New York has never been much of a leader in conducting easy, efficient elections, but there are a few ways that this year's June 28 primaries will finally be a little simpler for voters — timely, as parties make their picks for big races like governor, lieutenant governor, and Congress. 

There is now an online statewide tracker that will allow New York voters to check the status of their absentee ballots, so they can be assured their mailed-in vote reached its destination. This is the same portal where they can check their poll sites — voterlookup.elections.ny.gov. The tool even alerts you about fixable problems with absentee ballots, like a missing signature.

Many states have offered this kind of monitoring for years so it's a nice if overdue change in an era when you can follow online every step of a toothpaste shipment.

You can request an absentee application now at absenteeballot.elections.ny.gov. You can also start the process by mail, fax, or in person at your county election board. It won’t be sent your way yet, though — not all candidates seeking to run are yet certified.

COVID-19 remains a valid reason for voting absentee. If you are issued an absentee ballot, though, it’s crucial to remember that you can no longer change your mind and vote on a machine in person on Election Day. That’s due to a change in state law made last year, part of an effort to speed up the vote count. Election officials will now start processing absentees as they arrive, so many of those ballots will be ready for counting on Election Day. Hopefully, that will help speed the counting process in some races that aren’t exceptionally close. Recently added rules letting people fix small absentee mistakes early could save time by preventing challenges later.

And don’t worry. Even if you are issued an absentee but change your mind and want to vote in person, you can register your preference with an “affidavit” ballot, which will be reviewed for validity later.

Another plus: There will be more early voting sites and some expansion of early voting hours, according to the Nassau and Suffolk county election boards, although the exact details aren’t finalized.

Albany has made other election process revisions in recent years in the interest of fairness, including changes to the way candidates and parties can play technical games at various points, strategically challenging absentee votes for inane reasons. It’s past time that New York moves beyond antiquated, Byzantine election laws that were designed to protect the parties in power. 

This year and its big races will be a key test to see whether election boards can digest all the changes and run smooth elections, but perhaps we are beginning to get with modernity.