Niou Blasts Board of Elections for Refusing to Accept Absentee Ballots by Email
Yesterday, Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou (D-Chinatown, Financial District) called out the NYC Board of Elections (BOE) for refusing to accept absentee ballot applications by email during the COVID-19 crisis.
Recently, Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) enacted an executive order allowing – but not requiring – each county to accept applications by email. However, the NYC BOE remains firm that it will only accept ballot applications in person or by mail.
“This is unacceptable,” said Niou. “The Board of Elections is telling voters that they need to go out of their home to mail in their application or deliver it in person, while every other county in our region is working to allow people to shelter in place without giving up their right to vote. In a time when people are focused on protecting themselves and their families from this pandemic, we should be making it easier, not harder, for New Yorkers to access their right to vote.”
Levine, Barbot to Host Bilingual Community Q&A
Councilmember Mark Levine (D-Manhattan Valley, Manhattanville) and NYC Department of Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot will be hosting a bilingual community Q&A session this Thursday.
The session will provide viewers with the latest information on the COVID-19 crisis, and have them answer questions. Levine and Barbot will be taking questions in both English and Spanish.
The event will take place on Thursday, Apr. 23 from 5-6 p.m. Click here to pre-register.
Velázquez Seeks Emergency Pandemic Help for Nursing Homes
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-LES, Brooklyn, Queens) is leading a bipartisan push to secure more emergency funding for nursing homes in New York.
In a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Velázquez argues that nursing homes need additional support during the crisis, given how vulnerable their tenants are to the virus. 25 other New York lawmakers, including two Republicans, co-signed the letter.
“Throughout New York City and state, we’re hearing heartbreaking stories of the virus spreading rapidly in nursing facilities and taking lives of those living there,” said Velázquez. “These are our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. We need to steer resources to where they can be most effective and boosting resources for our nursing homes and their dedicated staff, now, will save lives.”
