June 24, 2020
From Democrat State Senate Candidate, Leslie Danks Burke:
With the impressive number of voters who took advantage of the opportunity in the pandemic to request absentee ballots for yesterday’s primary election, Leslie Danks Burke, candidate for State Senate in the 58th district, thanked the state’s Boards of Election (BOE) for their efforts to protect every person’s right to vote, and called for a permanent vote-by-mail option.
Across the state, around 1.9 million absentee ballots were issued for Tuesday’s election – a massive increase from the 115,000 or so absentee voters in the 2016 presidential primary. Turnout in the 58th district was strikingly high, and vote-by-mail numbers are set to bring that number even higher. More than 23,400 voters were issued absentee ballots across the five-county 58th district, a dramatic increase over the district’s roughly 2,800 absentee voters in the 2016 presidential primary.
Danks Burke is calling for the no-fault absentee voting implemented in this election by Gov. Cuomo’s Executive Order to be instituted permanently as a vote-by-mail option.
“My real thanks goes to the hard-working people at our local Boards of Election for skillfully handling an unusual and challenging election in the face of a pandemic,” said Danks Burke.
“Clearly, vote-by-mail is popular, safe, and practical, and it’s time to make it a permanent fixture in our democratic process,” said Danks Burke. “No one should have to choose between their health and their right to vote, and many parents are working two jobs to make ends meet. It just makes sense for voting to be as simple as possible. November will be one of the most important elections of our lifetime and it’s time to ensure every person’s voice is heard.”
Leslie Danks Burke is an attorney and a longtime advocate for education, healthcare, and rural economic development. She is the daughter of farmers and a mother who, together with her husband, is raising two children in this community. A Democrat, she previously ran for State Senate in the 58th in 2016, outraising incumbent Tom O’Mara by over $200,000 and receiving more voter support from outside her party than any other challenger to a sitting incumbent that year — on either side. Since 2016, Danks Burke has remained a powerful advocate for local community engagement and honest government.
