New Early Mail-In Voting Established for Santos’ Open House Seat

Early mail-in voting in New York appears ready to debut in the mid-February special election for former Rep. George Santos’ House seat.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., in September signed a measure expanding access to absentee voting.

The new law goes into effect Jan.1, allowing all registered voters to apply to receive a ballot by mail without having to provide a reason, which is still required when requesting an absentee ballot, Gothamist reported.

The special election in New York’s 3rd Congressional District is set for Feb. 13. New York Democrats have selected former Rep. Tom Suozzi to run for the seat, while Republicans have not yet chosen a candidate.

Republican plaintiffs, led by Rep. Elise Stefanik, have filed a lawsuit in the New York State Supreme Court arguing that the new law is unconstitutional, Gothamist reported.

A lawyer representing the plaintiffs said the lawsuit to prevent the law from taking effect next month takes on added significance with the special election approaching.

“That’s all the more reason for the court to make a decision as soon as possible because the stakes are high for everyone,” attorney Neil Murray said, the Gothamist reported.

GOP officials contend that Democrats ignored the will of New Yorkers, who rejected a 2021 ballot measure that would have changed the New York Constitution to allow for a measure similar to the new law.

Gothamist reported that officials at both the New York City and Nassau County Boards of Elections said they are gearing up to implement the new process while awaiting a court ruling.

“The early vote by mail takes effect Jan. 1 and our portal will be live and ready to go for voters in accordance with the statute,” New York City Board of Elections Deputy Executive Director Vincent Ignizio told the outlet.

GOP spokesperson Mike Deery said the party’s campaign plan will include communicating about the new law.

“We will advise voters that they can cast ballots by mail in the special election pursuant to the state’s vote-by-mail law,” Deery said, according to Gothamist.

Mistrust of early voting remains among many loyalists of former President Donald Trump, who blamed his 2020 election loss on alleged voter fraud in several key battleground states.

Other Republicans, though, insist the party needs to follow Democrats in taking advantage of mail-in voting, especially in key states where early and mail balloting are employed.

The House of Representative voted Dec. 1 to expel Santos after an ethics report accused him of converting campaign donations for his own use. He became just the sixth member in the chamber’s history to be ousted by colleagues.