New York State Senator Shelley Mayer 37th District: RELEASE: NEW LAW EMPOWERS ARMED SERVICES MEMBERS TO VOTE IN LOCAL ELECTIONS.

GOVERNOR SIGNS MAYER LEGISLATION TO EMPOWER ARMED SERVICES MEMBERS TO VOTE IN LOCAL ELECTIONS.

YONKERS, NY -- On Veterans Day, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed Senator Shelley Mayer’s legislation to ensure that military voters have the opportunity to vote in school district and library board elections.

State Senator Shelley B. Mayer said, “This new law ensures members of the military and their family members receive absentee ballots for school board, budget and library board elections and can participate fully in our most local of elections. Before this law, people serving in the military could register to receive absentee ballots for federal, state, and local elections but not school elections. This new law ensures members of our military and their families, who are making tremendous sacrifices to protect our rights and freedoms, are able to exercise one of the most fundamental rights -- the right to vote. Thank you to Assemblymember Thiele, my colleagues, and Governor Andrew Cuomo, for working to ensure everyone who is eligible to vote has the opportunity to do so.”

Under current law, those serving in the military, including their spouses and dependents may register as military voters in New York State and receive an absentee ballot for all federal, state, local elections. However, previous provisions did not extend to ballots for school and library board elections. This legislation will make military voting available for all school and library elections for which absentee ballots are already authorized.