Letitia James Celebrates Victory in Voting by Mail Case

New York Attorney General Letitia James on Tuesday celebrated a court’s ruling in support of mail-in voting measures ahead of the 2024 election.
“The right to vote is the cornerstone of our nation, and government should make it easier for citizens to have their voices heard, not harder. While some want to put up roadblocks and stifle New Yorkers’ ability to exercise their Constitutional right to vote, I will always stand up and protect this basic, yet essential, freedom,” James said in a statement.
Earlier on Tuesday, a New York Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a law that allows residents in the state to cast a ballot by mail if they are a registered voter, following challenges from Republicans.
In a 6-1 decision, the state Court of Appeals upheld lower court rulings, determining that the voting expansion law passed by the legislature last year did not violate the state’s constitution. The lawsuit, part of a broader GOP effort to tighten voting regulations after the 2020 election, was led by U.S. Republican Representative Elise Stefanik.
James, whose office defended the measure, said in her statement that “every election, at every level of government, is a beautiful celebration of patriotism and civic responsibility, and I encourage all New Yorkers to exercise their right to vote and to hold their public servants accountable.”
“I will keep working to protect our state’s laws, and will do everything within my power to push back against anti-voting rights efforts and instead empower New Yorkers’ access the polls,” the New York attorney general added.
Republican challengers of the law argued that under the Constitution, U.S. residents should be required to vote in person.
In the majority opinion from the Court of Appeals, Chief Judge Rowan Wilson said that there is no “clear, unequivocal, and persistent” requirement in the Constitution to have voters cast their ballot in person.
In 2021, Democrats sought to expand mail-in voting through a constitutional amendment, but the proposal was rejected by voters following a conservative-led campaign claiming it would result in voter fraud.
According to the Associated Press (AP), New York State Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox issued a statement following the court’s ruling saying that it was “an affront” to voters in New York.
“This holding is clearly contrary to what generations of New York legislators, attorneys and judges had decided and what the people said in 2021 when they rejected the amendment,” Cox said in the statement obtained by the AP.
According to James’ office, the New York State legislature passed the New York Early Mail Voter Act in 2023, which allowed all registered voters in the state to vote by mail.