Early voting in primaries begins on Saturday
Early voting will begin this Saturday, June 13, for primaries in New York state.
And while in-person voting will be available for early voting and on Primary Day, June 23, eligible voters also were mailed applications to request absentee ballots. Under an executive order signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, voters can choose “temporary illness or physical disability” to request an absentee ballot if they have a fear of contracting the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 by going to a polling site.
A Democratic primary will be held in the race for the president of the United States, as well as to select six delegates to the Democratic National Convention from New York’s 19th Congressional District. There also will be a Republican primary in the 19th Congressional District between Ola Hawatmeh and Kyle Van De Water. The winner will face incumbent U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-Rhinebeck, in the November election.
New York’s 19th Congressional District comprises all of Ulster, Greene, Columbia, Sullivan, Delaware, Schoharie and Otsego counties; most of Dutchess County; parts of Rensselaer and Montgomery counties; and a small section of Broome County.
In Saugerties, there will be five primaries in the race for town justice between incumbent Claudia Andreassen and Stanley O’Dell Jr. The two are vying for the Democratic, Working Families, Independence, Libertarian and Green Party lines in November’s election.
There also will be primaries in the town of Saugerties to choose members of the Ulster County Democratic Committee in districts 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14 and 16.
A list of sample ballots is available online at bit.ly/2MLko70.
In Dutchess County, primaries will be held in the race for County Court judge between incumbent Peter Forman and Jessica Segal. The two are vying for the Green and Independence lines.
There also is a primary to chose a member of the state SAM Committee from the 9th Judicial District. More information is available online at dutchesselections.com.
Ulster County Democratic Commissioner of Elections Ashley Dittus said regardless of whether people go in person to vote early or to vote on June 23, “they will be engaging with a safety plan that we have adopted to minimize
exposure to COVID-19.”
“Voters will be asked to sanitize their hands and wear gloves we provide and wear a mask upon entry,” Dittus said. Also, voters will be provided with masks if they show up without.
In-person will cast their ballots in the regular way, she said.
Voters will be given a place to discard their masks and gloves and sanitize their hands upon exiting the polling place, Dittus said.
Also, she said, election inspectors will be provided personal protective equipment, and polling sites have been designed to meet the 6-foot social distancing standards.
There will be three polling sites for early voting in Ulster County, Dittus said. She said for Primary Day, the county consolidated some sites to account for smaller locations that do not meet social-distancing standards. All voters affected by the temporary primary change will be sent a card in the mail letting them know where their polling site will be on June 23, Dittus said.
Early voting sites in Ulster County will be at Harry L. Edson Elementary School, 116 Merilina Ave., Kingston; the Saugerties Senior Center, 207 Market St., Saugerties; and New Paltz High School, 130 S. Putt Corners Road, New Paltz.
Any voter who has a primary can vote at any of the three sites if voting early. The polling sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 13, June 14, June 20 and June 21; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 15, June 17 and June 19; and noon to 8 p.m. June 16 and June 18.
Dittus said the Ulster County Board of Elections will begin counting absentee ballots on July 1, though tallies from early voting and in-person voting on Primary Day will be available June 23, after the polls close.
Ulster County voters who have not requested an absentee ballot can do so by phone or email at (845) 3345470 or elections@co.ulster.ny.us.
In Dutchess County, early voting will be available at the Fishkill Town Hall, 807 Route 52, Fishkill; and town of Poughkeepsie Community Room, 19 Tucker Road, town of Poughkeepsie. Polls will be open from noon to 5 p.m. June 13, June 14 and June 21; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 15, June 17 and June 19; noon to 8 p.m. June 16 and June 18; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 20.
In Greene County, early voting will be available at the Greene County Office Building, 411 Main St., Catskill, Suite 430. Polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 13, June 14, June 20 and June 21; noon to 8 p.m. June 15 and June 17; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 16, June 18 and June 19.