On Long Island, two million voters have received envelopes with ballots for next week’s school elections.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state made the switch to absentee ballots as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19.
Long Islanders will vote on billions of dollars’ worth of proposed schools spending, as well as hundreds of school board seats.
Critics say mail-in voting could increase voter fraud, while supporters say the convenience will get more people to vote and keep people safe from the coronavirus.
Voting by mail is new to New York. Only five other states in the country send ballots to voters without request.
Many view it as a test for primary elections on June 23, and potentially the November general election, if there is a second wave of infection.