ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Election Day is less than three weeks away and for the first time since the pandemic, every single New Yorker will be allowed to vote by mail if they want to.

So far this year, Monroe County has sent out nearly 28,000 mail-in ballots requested by voters. The Board of Elections has only received around 9,100 back. There may be more as applications are processed.

The New York State law for how election boards process mail-in ballots changed a few years ago. Unlike the 2020 general election, election workers now organize ballots as they come in. Staff look at signatures to make sure they match the ones on file. The ballots are then put into a bipartisan box where they wait to be scanned on October 25.

When they’re scanned, the results are put together on an electronic device but those results aren’t released or tabulated until election night on November 5 after the polls close.

From the numbers, Monroe County Board of Elections Commissioner Lisa Nicolay says many people are applying but that doesn’t mean they’ll actually vote.

“You can’t force people to vote, right? They want to go. They make a plan, they go to early voting, they go to election day, you know, they have an absentee ballot. But, you know, just because we make it easier for people doesn’t necessarily make them want to participate more, you know. So I think we’re going to see more applications, but not anymore, as far as people that are actually exercising their right to vote,” Nicolay said.

She says that through the mail-in ballot state portal application they’re getting around 400 to 500 requests for ballots each day.

If you plan on voting by mail or absentee, you can track that ballot on the board of elections website. To apply for an early mail ballot or for more information, click here.

For a complete list of polling locations in Monroe County, click here.

Applications requesting a mail-in ballot must be submitted by October 26 and the stamped return date has to be by Election Day on November 5.

Related:

• ‘It’s really important’: Board of Elections stresses deadlines for absentee and mail-in voting
• Monroe County Board of Elections urges voters to ‘make a plan’ as early voting begins in three weeks

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