Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday embraced calls for voters to be able to cast ballots by mail, indicating she will make a push for the measure next year when state lawmakers return for the 2022 session. 

"I believe everyone should be able to vote by mail," Hochul told reporters at a news conference in Albany. "That's a radical proposition to some and to others it just makes sense. Why are there barriers to people exercising the most basic right in a democracy?"

Voters in November rejected proposed constitutional amendments that would have ended a list of requirements to qualify for an absentee ballot, as well as ending the requirement voters be registered 10 days in advance of an election. 

New York in recent years has sought to liberalize its voting laws, including a measure that allowed up to two weeks of early voting in the state. Historically, New York has lagged other states in the country in making changes to its voting laws. 

But in recent years, some states have opted to back measures to require identification, which voting rights advocates have said make it harder for people, especially people of color, to cast votes. 

Hochul said there has been an "assault on voting rights around the country" and she wants New York to be a leader on the issue. 

The governor also indicated the state would pick up the cost for the mail voting plan, though did not provide details. 

"I'll be working with all my partners for a very bold and ambitious plan so that New Yorkers have the right," she said.