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New Yorkers: How to Vote In The 2020 Election, Part 3 - Early Voting Edition!
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Oct 23, 2020
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By
Brigid Bergin
Published Oct 23, 2020
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This is our third installment of How to Vote—see part 1 and part 2—where we address some of the questions and misinformation we have received from concerned voters. If you’re planning to vote in person, let us know how it goes and what you’re seeing at the polls. Email us at [email protected]
Poll sites across the city will open their doors on Saturday morning for the start of nine days of in person voting before Election Day. This is the first presidential election with early voting here in New York. Altogether, the New York City Board of Elections will operate 88 sites in the five boroughs.
While it's the third time election officials will be running early voting, it’s the first time some of the city’s biggest sports and cultural venues will play a role. There will be early voting sites at Madison Square Garden, the Barclays Center, and even Lincoln Center. Here’s what you need to know about early voting in New York City.
Where is my early voting site?
Before you go out to vote, be sure to check here to find your early voting location. Unlike other parts of the state, voters in New York City are assigned to a specific early voting site. It may be different from your previous early voting location, and it will all but certainly be different from your Election Day poll site. Make sure you know where you are going.
How soon can I cast my vote?
Poll sites open Saturday, October 24th at 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. and the same time on Sunday. Early voting runs through Sunday, November 1st, but the hours during the week differ. Check the schedule before you head out to avoid arriving at a closed poll site.
How busy will my poll site be?
There’s no way to read the future. What we do know is that, last year the opening Saturday of the first early-voting period ever was the second busiest day. It was less so this past June, but keep in mind, that was the pandemic primary. In both instances, the last Sunday of early voting was the busiest day. Those would be times to avoid if you don’t want to see a crowd.
What special rules will be in effect because of COVID-19?
The rules in place requiring masks in public when you cannot maintain six feet of social distancing are also in effect at poll sites. Hand sanitizer will be available. The New York City Board of Elections has also invested in special plexiglass shields to protect voters and poll workers at the check in table. Voters will be given a pen to keep that can also act as a stylus to sign in on the electronic poll pad, and to fill out their ballot.
If a voter arrives maskless, poll workers can offer the person a mask, but that’s all they can do.
Can I just drop my absentee ballot off at an early voting site?
Yes. There will be secure drop boxes at every early voting and Election Day poll site. You can drop your absentee ballot off at any of them, not just your assigned site.
Listen to Brigid Bergin discuss early voting with David Furst on WNYC:
What if I arrive at the poll site and they can not find my name in the poll pad?
Start by taking a deep breath. Then make sure you are in the correct location. If you have a smart phone, check here to confirm. In the past, voters whose registrations had become “inactive” because the Board has received back mail from the postal service as undeliverable, would not find their names in the poll book. But a federal judge ruled early this year that all registered voters—active and inactive—need to appear in the poll pads at early voting and Election Day poll sites.
If your status is inactive, you will be asked to submit an affidavit ballot. If you are registered, your vote will count and your registration status will be returned to active. If you were not registered, the affidavit envelope will serve as your voter registration form, but your vote will not count.
I already mailed my absentee ballot back. But the absentee ballot tracker says the Board of Elections still hasn’t received it. Can I vote early?
Yes. Under New York law, you are entitled to vote in person even if you already submit your absentee ballot. You could choose to vote early even if the absentee ballot tracker says your ballot was received by the Board.
At any rate, until the polls close at 9 p.m. on November 3rd, you have the option to vote in person. The Board counts the votes cast early and on Election Day first, before they begin counting any absentee ballots. If you voted in person, your absentee ballot will not count.
Tagged
democracy
early voting
Board of Elections
election 2020
Brigid Bergin
Brigid Bergin is an award-winning senior reporter on the People and Power desk. She is fiercely committed to telling stories that help people engage and support democracy. In 2022, she hosted a live, ten-week call-in politics show ahead of the midterm elections called The People's Guide to Power. Brigid's reporting in 2017 included some of the first coverage of a political newcomer now known as AOC. In 2016, she broke the news of a voter purge in Brooklyn just days before New York’s presidential primary, triggering city, state and federal investigations. Brigid also guest hosts The Brian Lehrer Show and All Of It. She graduated from the University at Albany and the CUNY Newmark School of Journalism. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-723-4719.
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