Here’s What You Need To Know For Election Primary Day In New York
The New York State Primary Election has arrived, and after the last 10 days of early voting and the last couple of months of political activity, it's time to go vote.
After weeks of political ads and mailers, lots of campaign stops by candidates, and numerous interviews and articles, it's now time for us registered voters who are also members of political parties to select our candidates for the New York general election that is scheduled for November 8, 2022.
All elections matter and the choices we make as a society, and you make as an individual, will have an impact on our Cities, Towns, Counties, and State for years to come.
So, what do you need to know for Primary Election Day:
- Polls in New York State open at 6 am and stay open until 9 pm.
- In case you don’t think you have enough time to vote today, New York State Law requires your employer to give you up to 2 hours of paid time off if you do not have “sufficient time to vote.”
- While it is too late to request a mail-in ballot, if you already have one - you can drop it off at any voting location or at your local Board of Elections office.
- When you go vote, you have to vote at the polling place that has been assigned to you. If you don’t know where that is, you can check the NYS Elections Voter Lookup Tool right here.
- If you live in Erie or Niagara County you can also check their local voter look-up tools here for Erie County and here for Niagara County.
- You do not need an ID to vote in New York State. Just your name and you can sign the voter check-in book. Your identification might help you check-in faster, but it is NOT a requirement.
- If you run into any issues while voting, you can immediately reach out to the local Board of Elections. You can reach the Erie County BOE at 716-858-8891, and the Niagara County BOE at 716-438-4041 or 716-438-4040.
- Also, the Office of the New York Attorney General would also like to hear about any issues you run into, you can find their Election Hotline Tool here.
Just in case you don't remember, here are a few of the offices that are open to be elected this year:
- Governor of New York State - 4 Year Term
- Lieutenant Governor of New York State - 4 Year Term
- Erie County Clerk - 4 Year Term
- Political Party Committee Member - Democratic, Republician, Conserative
This is just a small sampling of the offices that are going to be filled this year. You can get a complete list of the offices being elected this year on the NYS Elections Website.
Due to some lawsuits regarding the political redistricting that's happened in 2022, there is going to be a 2nd primary election in New York on Tuesday, August 23, 2022. That primary election will be for Congress, State Senate, and State Assembly.
We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate
-Thomas Jefferson
Your vote is so important. In order for our society to work, it needs you to be involved in it. And for those who say your vote doesn’t matter; if your vote doesn’t matter, then why do ‘they’ try so hard to keep you from doing it?