New York voters overwhelmingly rejected a 2021 referendum that would have allowed no-excuses absentee voting in New York state.

No worries. State Democrats have found a way around that pesky state Constitution to get the no-excuse absentee ballot voting they want to badly whether voters want it or not.

Both houses of the state Legislature rushed legislation through at the end of the session in June (S.7384/A.7362) that would expand early voting by mail as well as require some absentee ballots to be counted as ballots by mail — circumventing an argument Republicans have made over absentee voting without a valid reason violating the state constitution.

Sen. Michael Gianaris, D-Astoria and Senate deputy majority leader, and Assemblywoman Karines Reyes, D-Queens, proposed in A.7632/S.7394 to allow state residents to request an early voting by mail ballot from their local Board of Elections to be returned before the close of polls on Election Day. If someone requesting an absentee ballot doesn’t provide a reason to use an absentee ballot, their vote would simply be counted as an early mail ballot — a workaround to Republicans’ claims no-excuse absentee ballots are unconstitutional.

Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bat, specifically asked Gianaris if the early voting by mail bill was simply the same thing as no-excuse absentee ballots and why another constitutional amendment wasn’t proposed.

“Madame Speaker, Senator Borrello is mistaken,” Gianaris said. “The referendum was relevant to the absentee ballot process. This bill relates to a form of early voting.”

It’s wonderful logic Gianaris uses. No-excuse absentee ballots get to walk like a duck, quack like a duck and be considered an airplane.

No-excuse absentee voting shouldn’t be enshrined in state law through a back door after voters spoke clearly against it at the ballot box as recently as 2021. If Democrats really want no-excuse absentee voting, they should get voters’ permission through a referendum first. Gov. Kathy Hochul should veto this legislation.