New York’s Legislature is meeting virtually, for the most part, this week, tackling unfinished business amid the coronavirus pandemic that has wreaked havoc on the state’s health and its finances.
Given what New York and other hard-hit states are up against, the Legislature has its work cut out for it. At least one form of relief state lawmakers can deliver in this brief and unusual summer session is swiftly passing a package of reforms to make it easier for New Yorkers to vote — a no-brainer ahead of an important presidential election.
Voting in New York is still harder than it should be. Across the state, election boards are too often packed with partisan patronage appointees rather than independent professionals. Voters often have faced lengthy lines or broken machines at poll sites. In 2014 and 2015, New York City improperly purged roughly 200,000 voters from the rolls.
