What you should know about casting your ballot if you still want to do it early or are heading to the polls on Tuesday.
After a campaign season full of Zoom forums, television ads and fliers stuffed in mailboxes, voting in New York City’s municipal primary has begun.
Here’s what you should know before you cast your vote.
When is Primary Day again?
This is a good place to start! It’s Tuesday, June 22. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. (If the date seems unusually early to you, it’s probably because the primary used to in September.)
Can I vote early?
You sure can. Early voting started June 12 and runs through Sunday. Voting hours vary depending on the day.
Where do I go to vote?
You can check your polling place on the Board of Elections website. Read carefully: Where you cast your ballot for early voting may differ from where you’re supposed to go on Election Day.
Is it too late to register?
Yes. Check to see if you’re already registered. Remember: You need to be registered with a political party to vote in a primary in New York.
Can I vote absentee?
Yes. If you still need an absentee ballot, you can apply in person at a county board of elections office until Monday.
If you’re mailing in an absentee ballot, it needs to be postmarked on or before Monday. You can also drop absentee ballots off at a polling place or a Board of Elections office on Tuesday.
Who are the main candidates for mayor?
The mayor’s race is the most important one on the primary ballot. Thirteen Democrats and two Republicans are running.
Out of the baker’s dozen, eight Democrats have emerged as leading candidates and have taken part in official debates. They are:
Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president
Shaun Donovan, a former federal housing secretary
Kathryn Garcia, a former city sanitation commissioner
Raymond J. McGuire, a former Wall Street executive
Dianne Morales, a former nonprofit executive
Scott M. Stringer, the city comptroller
Maya Wiley, a former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio
Andrew Yang, a former presidential candidate
In the Republican primary, the candidates are Fernando Mateo, a restaurateur, and Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, a street patrol group.
Where do the candidates stand on the issues?
That’s a bit complex for this guide. But we interviewed the eight leading Democratic contenders and asked them their views on the issues of concern to New Yorkers.
We’ve also published articles examining the candidates’ opinions on policing, affordable housing and public transportation.
What else is on the ballot?
Most voters in the city should expect a long list of races.
There are citywide elections for comptroller and public advocate, and voters in each borough will elect a borough president.
There are also primary races in most City Council districts; in many cases, the races are stuffed with candidates. Democratic voters in Manhattan will also choose a nominee to become the next district attorney.
You can look at a sample ballot for your district before you head to the polls.
What is ranked-choice voting?
New York City has introduced a ranked-choice voting system this year for all citywide primary races and special elections. Instead of simply picking one favorite candidate, voters choose up to five, ranking them in order of preference.
The rankings come into play if no one candidate has more than 50 percent of the votes after the initial tally. Here’s how it works and how it might affect the mayor’s race.
The Manhattan district attorney’s race will not use ranked-choice voting, because district attorney is a state office.
When will we know who won?
It will probably take a while.
After the polls close on Tuesday, the Board of Elections will release a preliminary tally of votes cast during the early voting period and on Primary Day. The count will not include absentee ballots, and will only reflect first-choice picks in the ranked-voting races.
With so many candidates in the Democratic primary for mayor, it is unlikely that anyone will get more than 50 percent of the votes in the first-round. The Board of Elections has said it will begin to run the ranked-choice voting system a week later, on June 29, and provide unofficial results as the process continues.
The unofficial counts will still not include absentee votes. New York State has laws governing absentee ballots that will delay a full, official accounting until sometime in July.
Source: Elections - nytimes.com
