Special edition: Navigating N.Y.'s 2024 elections
Here's what you need to know as a voter this year.
Good morning — it’s Saturday.
In today’s CapCon:
It’s a special edition! We’ve got election information, voter guides, explainers and more to prepare you for the polls.
❗CapCon Note: It’s Saturday. It’s the perfect day to get a free 30-day trial of CapCon. Tomorrow is fine too. Click here for that free trial.
☑️ Election Day is Nov. 5. Are you ready to vote?
We thought it would be useful to y’all to send out a special edition on this year’s elections — and what you need to know — as early voting begins today in New York.
But first — today is the last day you can register to vote in the election.
You can do that online here. It’s pretty easy and doesn’t take long.
It’s also the last day you can apply by mail for a mail-in ballot. You do that with your county Board of Elections. You can also request one online.
📅 Dates to know
Let’s start with the dates you’ll need to know as a voter, including today.
Oct. 21: Was the last day to make changes to your voter registration, including change of address.
Oct. 26: Last day to register to vote: You can register online, in person or by mail. It's also the last day to apply by mail for a mail-in ballot.
Oct. 26-Nov. 3: Early voting: Check with your county Board of Elections for voting hours and sites.
Nov. 4: Last day to apply for a mail-in ballot in person from your county Board of Elections.
Nov. 5: Election Day: Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mail-in ballots must be dropped off at a polling site or your county Board of Elections office by 9 p.m., or mailed and postmarked by this date. (Mailed ballots also must be received by the Board of Elections by Nov. 12.)
🤔 What’s on the ballot
This one depends on where you live. You might have local ballot proposals to consider so be sure to check with your county Board of Elections.
(New York City, for example, has a handful of ballot proposals on the city charter.)
Here are the elections on the ballot for everyone in New York:
President and Vice President
U.S. Senate: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) vs. Mike Sapraicone (R)
U.S. House of Representatives (There are 26 districts in N.Y.)
The state Senate (There are 63 districts in N.Y.)
The state Assembly (There are 150 districts in N.Y.)
Proposition 1
There are also local races on the ballot but that’s going to differ depending on where you live. Your county Board of Elections should have a sample ballot on their website.
👀 Voter guides for every N.Y. region
We’ve also put together these voter guides for every part of the state. These will show you who and what is on the ballot in your area.
Click the region you want to view:
⏰ What to know about early voting
Early voting starts today as well. That runs through Sunday, Nov. 3.
There are fewer locations to vote during the early voting period and the hours might vary. Find the details for your area here: voterlookup.elections.ny.gov.
Early voting has been offered in New York for a few years but you can also now vote early by mail using an absentee ballot for any reason.
(Reminder: if you’re requesting a ballot by mail, that needs to be postmarked today.)
Step 1: Request your ballot. You can print one out from your county Board of Elections online or head to the board’s office and pick one up. The last day to get one in person is Monday, Nov. 4.
Step 2: After you’ve received your ballot, fill it out. Follow all the instructions carefully. Make sure you don’t write on the ballot anywhere you’re not voting.
Step 3: Make sure your signature matches what’s on file with the state. The ballot will come with a security envelope. Make sure it’s correctly sealed.
Step 4: Return your ballot. You can do that in person at your polling place by 9 p.m. on Election Day, by mail no later than Election Day or at a polling place during the early voting period.
If you’re mailing your ballot back, you can track it on the state’s website.
🚶♂️➡️ Voting in person on Election Day
If you’re voting in person, you’ll need to find your polling place. If you show up at the wrong one, they’ll send you to the right one.
But your polling place should be the closest location to where you live. If you don’t know it, you can check with your county Board of Elections or look online.
When you get there, the poll workers will find your name in their books. That’s where you sign so that your signature can be checked with what they have on file if needed.
That’s when you’ll get your ballot. You’ll be directed to a private area to fill it out. Just like the absentee ballots, don’t make any unnecessary marks. But if you do, or make an error, you can ask for another ballot up to three times.
Important: New York has something called “fusion voting,” where you might see the same candidate on different party lines. All of those votes are combined to support that candidate. You can vote on any of them but only on one of them.
You’ll then place your ballot in the voting machine to be counted. It’s completely anonymized so no one will be able to know how you voted.
And if you’re in line to vote and it hits 9 p.m., stay in line. You can still vote.
🔒 Are New York’s elections secure?
Your vote is protected in New York. All voting machines have an airgap, meaning they’re not connected to the internet. The machine spits out the results.
All voting machines have to be certified by the state Board of Elections. That means they’ve gone through rigorous testing to make sure they count ballots correctly.
But don’t take my word for it. The state Board of Elections put together a (very) detailed page about the voting technology used in New York.
Read about that voting technology here.
And before the election, each machine goes through a pre-election audit to make sure it’s working properly. They’re also tested at least once each year.
Each election site is also staffed by officials registered with both major parties as another layer of oversight. That’s also the case when votes are counted.
If you have a problem at your polling place, call 866-390-2922 or fill out the hotline complaint form online at electionhotline.ag.ny.gov.
And here are the state Board of Elections’ social media accounts for any updates before or on Election Day: Facebook, Instagram and X.
🔎 What races are we watching?
There are too many races in the state Legislature for me to list here. Just know the most competitive races are in Long Island, the Hudson Valley and central New York.
Races for Congress are particularly important this year because the six or so competitive races in New York could determine which party controls Congress.
Here are the races I’m watching:
NY-1: Rep. Nick LaLota (R) vs. John Avlon (D)
NY-4: Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R) vs. Laura Gillen (D)
NY-3: Rep. Tom Suozzi (D) vs. former Assemblyman Mike LiPetri (R)
NY-17: Rep. Mike Lawler (R) vs. former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D)
NY-18: Rep. Pat Ryan (D) vs. Alison Esposito (R)
NY-19: Rep. Marc Molinaro (R) vs. Josh Riley (D)
NY-22: Rep. Brandon Williams (R) vs. state Sen. John Mannion (D)
We have information about a lot of those candidates in our voter guides but I’m always a fan of telling readers to check their local news outlets for coverage too.
Hats off to the Times Union’s Erica Smith for putting together most of this information. It’s a lot but we know it’s important to you.
I’ll leave you with some of our (great) election coverage to peruse:
How to track campaign contributions and expenditures for New York candidates
N.Y. voters will decide Proposition 1. What would it actually do?
Super PACs are flooding NY House races with unprecedented cash
In a race that could tip Congress, two candidates fight for the middle
Meet the New Yorkers rejecting party labels this election
State certifies 12 write-in candidates for president
Siena poll: Support for Harris, Prop 1 grows in New York
More from the Times Union (Free for CapCon Subscribers):