Here’s how to vote in New York’s action-packed primaries

Early voting for the primaries begins Saturday, running until June 23. New York has closed primaries, meaning only registered party voters will be choosing candidates to represent them in the general election in November. To find out whether there is a primary election in your area, you can refer to this resource from Vote Early NY, a voting rights organization. More information on poll site hours within the early voting period can be found at vote.nyc/elections for New York City voters and here for voters outside New York City. 

After the early voting period ends, there will be a one-day break, and voting will resume on Election Day,  June 25, when polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

Saturday is the last day New Yorkers can register to vote in the primary. New York City voters can register here, and voters living outside the city can register here. Saturday is also the “Golden Day,” the one day out of the early voting period where residents can register and vote at the same time at a polling site. It is also the last day voters may apply online for an absentee ballot.

New Yorkers across the state will be weighing in on candidates for: 

– Members of the House of Representatives

– State Senate

– Assembly

– Civil Court Judges

– State Committee/District Leaders

The 2022 midterm primary elections in New York were split into two separate elections in June and August due to redistricting, and neither saw high turnout. Statewide, Gotham Gazette reported only 13% of registered voters participated in the top-of-the-ticket primary in June 2022. Voter turnout stats for the June 2022 New York City primary election showed that only 15% of eligible city voters participated in each primary election. In 2020, New York City turnout was higher in the primary election: 26%.

“Voting is habit-forming,” said Jarret Berg, the co-founder and voting rights counsel at Vote Early NY. “Access doesn’t equal turnout. Lawyers can fight for rights, but what drives turnout are what I like to call the six C’s of civics: compelling candidates, competitive contests and collective concern.”

There are several congressional primaries to watch, but the most anticipated is the contest between Westchester County Executive George Latimer and Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who are competing for the Democratic line in Westchester. Latimer holds a double-digit lead in recent polls. In a heated debate this week, Latimer and Bowman accused each other of lying, among other callouts about the voters they accuse each other of neglecting.

There are also many spicy state legislative races to watch.