There is no question New York has made clear, demonstrable progress in expanding voting rights and improving our elections. But with every step forward in New York, there is inevitably a corollary step back.

The systemic failures in Oneida County in 2020 that engulfed a close congressional race, which resulted in months long delays and a protracted court battle, demand immediate action and reform.

While the New York State Legislature and the Governor have taken a first step to address the perils of in-person petitioning, more is urgently needed as in-person petitioning is a potential superspreader event. That is why Common Cause New York is calling on the Governor to immediately suspend in-person petitioning as it endangers the welfare of all New Yorkers and defies the recommendations of the CDC and the Governor’s own public health orders.

Common Cause/NY vehemently opposes the certification of ES&S’ ExpressVote XL hybrid voting machine by the New York State Board of Elections.

It is our position that while there were undoubtedly unforced errors along the way, that overall, the Boards of Elections did a credible job of navigating unprecedented circumstances and did their best to rapidly scale up a previously sleepy absentee voting program. However, there is much to improve looking ahead to November in what is arguably the most consequential election in recent history.