Voting

 ACCESS DURING COVID-19

The Department has worked tirelessly through the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure voting access.

• Voter Packets and In-Person Voter Assistance: The Department continues to distribute voter packets, which include voting instructions, eligibility criteria, and the requisite voter forms, to all individuals in custody, as well as provided in-person voter assistance to respond to any questions related to elections or the voting process. Additionally, the Department has continued in-person drop-offs, pick-ups, and the timely delivery of all election mail to the appropriate BOE office on behalf of people in custody at no charge to the individual. The Department also provides to all individuals in custody three (3) free stamps or pre-stamped envelopes on a weekly basis. Individuals can utilize this resource to mail-in their completed forms to BOE if they prefer this method instead.

• Partnership with Correctional Health Services ("CHS"): To bolster the Department’s in-unit voter assistance efforts, the Department has partnered with CHS, who have leveraged their clinical encounters to provide additional voter assistance and engagement. The Department has worked closely with CHS to ensure all voter forms received by CHS were hand-delivered to the respective BOE borough office in a timely fashion.