There has been, and may well continue to be, drama and controversy about how to successfully and securely cast a ballot in 2026. The latest AccessAbility newsletter (now posted) includes a long discussion of various executive orders and federal litigation in its regular CourtsWatch feature.
However, with voting already underway in many states and set to commence in New York on October 24, we wanted to clearly convey our view of conditions for the impending 2026 general election, now that the dust is finally at least temporarily settling.
Our guidance is that one may vote (a) in-person on Election Day at their assigned polling place, (b) in-person before Election Day at an Early Voting Site, or (c) vote by mail (VBM), and in all cases be confident your vote will be counted.
New Yorkers can go to elections.ny.gov to find information, including links to your county board of elections to confirm your registration, apply for an absentee ballot, find poll locations and early voting sites, and more.
However, if one chooses to vote by mail, in New York or anywhere else, we advise one to complete their ballot at their earliest opportunity and return the ballot in the mail as far in advance of Election Day as possible, due to potential delays anticipated in USPS services.
If it’s close to Election Day, within a week, it is worth considering taking your completed ballot to an Early Voting Site as an alternative to USPS, or to one’s assigned polling place on Election Day itself; that somewhat defeats the purpose of VBM, we concede, but with the ballot completed in advance one should avoid any lengthy wait in line and get in and out within a few minutes.
Note that a friend, family member, or anyone you trust may deliver your VBM ballot directly to a polling place or other drop site on your behalf.
Thank you for making your voice heard in our democracy!