November 7th, 2023. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. This will be a general election where all registered voters may vote.
Can I vote early?
Yes, VOTE EARLY, because that will allow us to focus on helping the people who have not yet voted. Voters in New York are now able to vote during a 9-day-long period before Election Day, that is, from October 28 to November 5th, at a limited number of polling locations during limited hours. The locations in 2023 in Tompkins County are:
Town of Ithaca Town Hall 215 N Tioga Street Ithaca, NY 14850
Crash Fire Rescue (C.F.R.) 72 Brown Road Ithaca NY 14850
The hours will be: 9 am to 5 pm daily, with extended hours until 8 pm on Tuesday and Thursday.
Find more information at the website of the Tompkins County Board of Elections, here.
Will I be able to vote absentee?
Yes, but only for a fixed number of reasons (such as being out of town or being ill). New York does not allow "no excuse" absentee voting, yet. NOTE: if you request an absentee ballot, you MUST vote via that ballot. You won't have the choice to appear at your polling location to vote there (although you could appear and cast a *provisional* ballot, which would only be counted in the event of very close election results).
If a Democratic candidate appears on two (or three) lines on the November ballot, which one should I vote on?
All the votes for a candidate on different lines are counted together (this is called fusion voting). Except in gubernatorial elections, it doesn't matter which line you vote on. Candidates usually try to get their names on several lines so that someone who might want to vote for them has several options for HOW to vote for them.
Sometimes I've seen local candidates running on a "Caroline Party" line -- what is that about?
In the past, Democratic candidates in the Town of Caroline have gathered signatures in order to appear on both the Democratic Party line and an additional line which they have called "Caroline Party." The reason to do so is again, as above, to give voters more ways to vote for our candidates, seeing as all the votes are counted together under fusion voting rules.
Do I have to be registered?
Yes. The deadline to register to vote in the November 7th general election is October 28th.
If you are registered to vote at your previous address *within the State of New York*, you have the option of appearing at the appropriate local voting location and explaining that you recently moved. You will be able to change your voting address and get a provisional ballot on the spot, so that you can vote at your new address here. Registering online via the DMV is possible but often involves delays, so that a person can miss the registration deadline. The recommended way to register is to fill out a paper registration form and deliver it or mail it to the Board of Elections office on Buffalo St. in Ithaca. They will mail you a postcard to confirm your registration -- be sure to follow up with them if you don't get your postcard within a few weeks!