There are two very interesting election-related propositions that you will find on your 2021 ballot this year. One is a proposal to eliminate the 10-day advance voter registration requirement. The other is to authorize no-excuse absentee ballot voting. Both of these propositions could go a long way in making voting easier for everyone.

When it comes to voting, time and time again the argument is split between those who want to make voting more difficult in the name of election security, and those who want to expand voting, as proponents say, in an effort to make everyone’s voices heard. The argument against expansion efforts like those proposed in this year’s ballot is that it could open our elections up to more voter fraud. But the thing is… in-person voter fraud is extremely rare. Several audits and studies over decades have shown this. There has been no credible evidence that in-person voter fraud is an issue, and it definitely isn’t frequent enough to sway an election. But still legislators treat this like a real problem that needs to be solved.

It’s like The Simpsons episode, “Much Apu About Nothing,” where Springfield establishes the Bear Patrol after neighbor Ned Flanders sees a bear wandering around town. Homer Simpson says the Bear Patrol is working because there’s “not a bear in sight.” Lisa Simpson, always with the poignant remarks, responds to Homer, saying, “By your logic, I could claim that this rock keeps tigers away.” Homer asks how it works and Lisa says, “It doesn’t work… It’s just a stupid rock… But I don’t see any tigers around, do you?” To which Homer says, “Lisa, I want to buy your rock.”

To combat this non-voter-fraud-issue, lawmakers institute voter IDs that require folks to find the time to pay for them, pick them up, and keep them up to date, while also closing down motor vehicle departments and polling stations in rural areas, and reducing funding for mass transit systems for people to get to those locations, thereby hampering the very process that they installed, all for the guise of safer elections.

Lawmakers often install these hurdles and then leave it up to the voters to jump them, over and over again, until they’re worn down, tired of waiting, tired of standing. Sure, it’d be one thing if lawmakers who issued voter ID laws also included a clause that would automatically give everyone a free voter ID upon registration that they could never have to renew, but none have ever included such a detail in their voter ID laws.

So... back to the propositions. The 10-day elimination would delete the current requirement that a citizen be registered to vote at least 10 days before an election and would allow the Legislature to enact laws permitting voters to register to vote less than 10 days before the election. This would allow young people just coming of voting age, those who moved, and even those who are rejoining society to register and be a part of the voting process. The more the merrier!

The next proposition would essentially make permanent the absentee ballot rules New York enacted last year during the pandemic. Last year, basically, anyone could request an absentee ballot due to the threat of COVID. Previous years required a specific excuse: either you were out of town, had a lasting illness, or were physically disabled. But there’s a lot of reasons to not vote in-person, including work, family/scheduling conflicts, and even anxiety disorders. It can be a very anxious thing to go to the polls and cast your vote. People with anxiety might dread every moment of it, whereas the no-excuse ballot measure would allow them the convenience and mental comfort of voting by mail. This could even encourage younger, more introverted people to participate in the election process. When it was used for the 2020 school board elections, voter turnout was the highest it had ever been, same for the presidential election that year. And this is a good thing! More participation is good for democracy, because more people who are directly affected by the policies of our lawmakers would be getting a voice. Other states have had this process for decades without issue. With more voters participating, it could also open up other options such as ranked choice voting, which could pave the way for viable third-party candidates.

Bottom line: the benefits of these two propositions outweigh the risks, as history has proven. It’s about time New York caught up with other states and made voting easier for all.