Days ahead of the start of early voting and the Nov. 3 midterm elections, the executive director of Common Cause New York and partnering election experts and voting rights advocates said that while this year has seen “an unprecedented effort to mess with our elections and scare and confuse people about the voting process,” a statewide effort to train and organize volunteers will ensure that New York voters can vote with ease and confidence.
A briefing last Thursday brought together Susan Lerner of Common Cause, Erica Smitka, executive director of the League of Women Voters of New York State, Chris Alexander, the executive director of the N.A.A.C.P. New York State Conference, and Hae-Lin Choi of Hands Off N.Y.C. and the Hands Off Our Vote campaign.
President Trump routinely asserts without evidence that Democrats cheat in elections and that his 2020 re-election loss was due to fraud. Reuters reported on Monday that his approval rating had fallen to 31 percent, the lowest level in either of his presidential terms. In a “generic ballot” question in the same poll, around 47 percent of registered voters chose Democrats as the party they would vote for in the midterm elections versus 35 percent who chose Republicans.
Following his re-election loss in 2020, the president and his supporters launched scores of unsuccessful lawsuits to overturn results. The president personally pressured Georgia’s secretary of state to “find” enough votes to overturn that state’s result, and, when those efforts failed, incited a mob of supporters to attack the United States Capitol to prevent the counting of Electoral College votes that would formalize Joe Biden’s victory.
With this history and fears of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at polling sites, the coalition of groups sought to assure voters that, in New York at least, the vote will be free and fair.
“Nothing in election administration has changed for voters this year,” Ms. Lerner said. “Our elections are run by New Yorkers for New Yorkers, just like they always have been. The federal government tried to kill vote by mail and other reforms that make it easier to vote. They failed. Voting by mail is legal and safe.” The president has repeatedly called for a ban on voting by mail, falsely claiming that it is rife with fraud. He himself votes by mail.
“In 2025, more than twice as many New Yorkers cast their ballots early compared to 2021,” Ms. Lerner said, “and voters are increasingly using mail-in voting.” The vote-by-mail process is transparent, she said, and voters can track their ballot on the board of elections website from the day it’s mailed to the day it’s counted.
The board of elections must give voters an opportunity to address any technical problems such as failing to date or sign a ballot, she said. “Nothing is actually counted until Election Day, however.” On the night of the election, verified mail ballots are reported along with votes cast in person on Election Day and during the early voting period, Saturday through Nov. 1.
It is important to remember that election night results are not complete, Ms. Smitka said. The board of elections will collect and verify votes postmarked by Nov. 3 and continue to receive ballots until Nov. 10. Military and overseas voters can request mail ballots until Tuesday, but must still postmark them by Nov. 3. Those ballots can be received and counted until Nov. 16. “That means that some close races might not have a clear winner on election night,” she said, “but accurate results take time and we caution against candidates declaring victory, or reporters drawing conclusions too early in close races until the results are final.”
“We’ve seen a lot of misinformation about who can vote and whether you need to show ID to do so in this election cycle,” she said. “Voters need to remember that they have the right to vote free of harassment, and if a voter has voted in New York before, they never need to show an ID to cast their ballot. . . . We also encourage voters not to leave the poll site without casting their ballot. If they’re in line when the polls close at 9 p.m., they can still vote. If a voter heads to the polls and their name isn’t showing up on the poll book or there’s a question about their registration, they still have the right to vote via an affidavit ballot.”
Anyone witnessing potential misconduct related to voting has been asked to call 1-866-OUR-VOTE, she said. “The federal government has no role in our elections, and our state government will ensure that the election is run in accordance with New York State election law.”
A statewide coalition comprising the N.A.A.C.P., Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, and other partners will be on the ground during early voting, Mr. Alexander said. “Our branch members will be joining the hundreds of trained volunteers across the coalition, checking in on poll sites in their own neighborhoods, and building rapid response networks.” Black voters, he said, “fought too hard for this right to let anyone scare us away from it. . . . On Election Day, election protection volunteers will be stationed at poll sites throughout the city and across the state. Digital poll monitors will also be searching social media to assist voters in real time.”
The federal government’s “threats against our elections are part of something bigger,” Ms. Choi said. “It’s the surround sound of authoritarianism, and it’s coming from every direction at once.” Hands Off N.Y.C., a coalition of 250 unions, faith communities, and neighborhood groups across New York City’s five boroughs, has trained more than 10,000 New Yorkers on civil rights, civil liberties, and how to stand up for them, she said.
As of now, there are no credible threats to New York’s election system, she said. “Our system is strong, but the intent to interfere with this election has been made plain out loud by people in power, and we take them at their word. . . . This year, we need to be ready to take to the streets to protect our votes wherever in the country a problem shows up, because an attack on voters in any state is an attack on voters everywhere.”
Until Saturday, eligible voters can register online, in person, or by mail to be eligible to vote in the general election. “But we’re urging everyone this year,” Ms. Lerner said, “do not wait until the deadline.”
Voters can cast their ballot by mail by requesting a ballot from the State Board of Elections online until Saturday or in person until Nov. 2. “This year, we’re urging voters to mail their ballots back as soon as they can to avoid any delays in the mail,” Ms. Lerner said.
New Yorkers can check their registration status at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov.
