Early Voting Begins This Week For New York’s 2nd Primary

Coming up this weekend, we New Yorkers will have another opportunity to participate in the political process as early voting begins for another round of primary elections.

New York had its first primary elections back on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, which allowed registered voters who were enrolled in a political party to vote for their candidate for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Assembly, various Judges, and various positions within the different political parties.

This time around you will have the opportunity to vote for candidates for the New York State Senate and the US House of Representatives.

Why Does New York Have Two Primary Elections This Year

After the completion of the 2020 US Census, officials in the state started the process of redrawing the state electoral district lines. So the boundaries that define the various state and local offices were changing and some parties sued in the New York State Supreme Court to prevent the changes.

The maps that were approved by officials were rejected by the State Supreme Court and officials had to draw new maps. That process needed additional time, so the courts ordered a second primary to allow time for the changes to be made.

What You Need To Know To Vote Early

Early voting begins on Saturday, August 13, 2022, at 9 am and will run until Sunday, August 21, 2022, at 5 pm.

In Erie County, New York, there are 39 different locations where you can cast your vote. You can vote at any location you choose. In Niagara County, New York there are four different locations where you can vote and Niagara County residents can vote at either location.

Earlier this year Governor Hochul announced that anyone can vote absentee this year, to do so you need to contact the Board Of Elections and request a ballot. Your absentee ballot can be dropped off at the local board of elections office, or at any Early Voting location.

You can find a complete list of early voting locations here on the NYS Elections website.

If you're not yet registered to vote, it's too late to vote in this year's primary, but not too late to vote in the general election that's happening in November. You can also find the information you need to register to vote right here.