Capital New York

Governor Andrew Cuomo is proposing early voting in New York State that "is at least one week long, and includes the weekend before a scheduled Election Day," according to an outine of the governor's State of the State speech distributed by his office today.

The day before the legislative races last year, Cuomo announced a loosening of rules govering emergency ballots to help address needs facing residents displaced immediately after Hurricane Sandy.

The proposal announced today is likely to be embraced by progressives and good-government groups who, like President Barack Obama, have complained about long voting lines on Election Day.

It's also presumably more likely to be something Cuomo will be able to get agreement on in the legislature than, say, changes to the election dates. 

Last year, a judge moved the date of New York's congressional races from September to June, in order in order to accommodate military service men voting by absentee ballots.

There's been speculation the legislature would move the date of the New York City elections, but there's been no agreement on that. The New York City Board of Elections has said they are unable to verify votes and prepare voting machines within the two-week time frame if a run-off election is needed in a citywide race where the winner does not get at least 40 percent of the vote.

Azi Paybarah

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