By Rachel Holliday Smith and Allison Dikanovic, THE CITY
The big moment may be nearer than you think: Primary Day is June 22, but early voting begins this weekend.
If you’re registered with a major party, this Saturday, June 12, marks your first chance to cast a ballot in the citywide primary. Doors open at 8 a.m.
If you’re planning to vote early in person, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Your voting site: Your early voting site may be different from your Primary Day voting site. Double check you’re going to the right place with this look-up tool from the city Board of Elections.
- Your ballot: Here’s how to find out exactly who will be on your ballot.
- Ranked choice voting: You can rank your top five candidates by preference. Still not sure exactly how you should play it? Here are strategy tips on how best to use ranked choice voting, according to the experts.
- Do you live in Manhattan? Every city election will be conducted using ranked choice voting — including mayor, comptroller, public advocate, the borough presidents and all City Council members — but state positions will not. That means ranked choice is not in effect for the Manhattan district attorney race. Manhattanites, get ready to choose just one new DA on your ballot!
Not so sure about voting in person? No big deal.
- Remember, anyone can vote absentee due to special COVID-19 rules again in effect this year — and you still have time to request your absentee ballot. The deadline is June 15. Here’s how to get one.
- If you already have your absentee ballot and want to deliver it in-person, you can drop it off to any early voting site during voting hours. Here’s how to find a voting site — and voting hours, which vary during the early voting period.
Early voting kicked off with a bang in New York during the presidential election last fall, with hours-long lines at poll sites across the boroughs. All those early birds meant Election Day itself was relatively quiet, with few lines. In total, more than 1.1 million New York City residents voted early in the 2020 election.
This article was originally published on Jun 9 at 7:11pm EDT by THE CITY
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