Edward McKinley reports for the Times Union that six weeks from election day officials in Albany and Rensselaer counties report they have sent out twice the number of mail-in ballots than in 2016. The last presidential election did not feature a pandemic that literally meant casting ballots in person could be deadly. But in 2020 that is the case. "We have never had anything near this," said Matt Clyne, the Democratic commissioner for the Albany County Board of Elections. Over 22,000 people have requested mail-in ballots so far this year there, while about 10,000 did for the entire 2016 presidential election. “Since we’ve been on the phone, I’m sure there’s been three or four that have come in," Clyne said. Voters have until Oct. 9 to register to vote, and Oct. 27 to request a mail-in ballot. Clyne said he expects to send out 40,000 or 50,000 ballots this year, four or five times as many as four years ago. In Rennselaer County, Jason Schofield, the Republican elections commissioner, says they have already mailed 11,000 ballots compared to 4,500 in 2016. There are recommendations from election officials to mail those ballots in as soon as possible. A settlement was announced last week in a lawsuit brought by the Campaign Legal Center on behalf of the League of Women Voters and a woman named Carmelina Palmer. It forces county boards of election in New York to attempt to fix any errors voters may have made when casting their ballots through the mail, rather than just tossing the ballot out. “Voters now have the opportunity to correct unintended mistakes made when completing and returning their absentee ballots. With new laws passed by the Legislature, signed by the Governor, and now this settlement, a process has been established to ensure that voters’ ballot will not be rejected without their knowledge and ability to fix the error," said Laura Ladd Bierman, executive director of the League of Women Voters of New York state. Another reason to vote by mail as soon as possible: more evidence of a slowdown by the United States Postal Service after Louis DeJoy took over as postmaster general. The Guardian reports the USPS has seen a severe decline in the rate of on-time delivery of first-class mail since DeJoy took over. “It is easy to conclude that the recent Postal Services’ changes is an intentional effort on the part the current Administration to disrupt and challenge the legitimacy of upcoming local, state, and federal elections,” U.S. district judge Stanley Bastian wrote in a ruling last month blocking some of DeJoy's policies designed to slow down mail delivery.