EARLY VOTING BEGINS TODAY: HERE’S A GUIDE
It’s not all about the 2 main contenders in N.Y. prez primary
New Yorkers will get their chance to weigh in on the two parties’ presidential candidates with early voting set to start Saturday for the state’s April 2 primary.
There is virtually no suspense about the results with President Biden and former President Trump already wrapping up their parties’ nominations. They will face off in the November general election in a rematch of their 2020 battle.
Several other minor candidates will be on the ballots in case voters want to register unhappiness with the presumptive nominees.
However no write-in votes are allowed and there is no way to vote for “undecided” slates of delegates like voters in other Democratic primaries have done to express opposition to Biden’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Here are some takeaways:
Who can vote?
Anyone who is a registered member of either the Democratic or Republican parties can vote in the presidential primaries.
The deadline to register in one of the parties is Saturday, the same day as the start of early voting.
Voting can only be for candidates in the voter’s party.
When and how can I vote?
Early voting starts Saturday and runs through Saturday, March 30, the day before Easter.
Check the state Board of Elections site for early voting locations and hours.
In general, early voting takes place during business hours and at far fewer locations than normal Election Day voting.
Voting on election day runs from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at neighborhood polling places. Their locations can be found at vote.nyc/ page/find-your-poll-site.
Absentee ballots are available for voters who cannot vote early or in person on primary day. Applications must be submitted by Saturday to county elections offices.
Who’s on the ballot?
The election is only for president and delegates to the presidential conventions.
On the Democratic side, Biden will appear on the ballot along with Marianne Williamson and Rep. Dean Phillips, who has already dropped out of the race.
Different slates of pro-Biden delegates will be on the Democratic ballots for each county in the state and the five boroughs in New York City.
For Republicans, Trump will be on the ballot along with Nikki Haley, Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy, none of whom are still in the race.
There are no slates of delegates listed as the winner gets to pick the GOP delegates.
Can you vote for ‘Undecided’ as a protest?
Nope. There are no options to protest against the candidates or delegate slates except by voting for rival candidates.
That means opponents of Biden’s staunch support for Israel will have no way of expressing that opinion like some Democratic primary voters did in states like Michigan and Minnesota.
Write-in votes are not allowed either.
Will we learn anything about Biden vs. Trump?
Some pundits believe turnout in primaries — even effectively uncontested ones — offer valuable clues about which parties will win in November.
But in deep-blue New York, it’s already considered a foregone conclusion that Biden will beat Trump, so any tea-leaf-reading will be of minimal interest.
What about congressional and state legislative races?
Primary elections for congressional and U.S. Senate seats will be held in June.
Among the most closely fought congressional races are expected to be the Democratic contest between Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Westchester County Executive George Latimer and the battle for the Democratic nomination to face Rep. Anthony D’Esposito on Long Island, who is considered one of the most endangered GOP incumbents in the country.
There will also be a handful of competitive Democratic primaries for state Assembly and Senate seats in the city.