SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Once you’ve made up your mind, you can head to the polls as early as this Saturday, Oct. 28. Early voting runs for 10 days or you can wait until Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Haven’t registered yet? Usually, it’s too late by now. But this year you can vote much earlier compared to previous years.
For the first time ever, voter registration is open until 10 days before the election, that’s the same day early voting starts, with the voter registration deadline being extended. From now until Saturday, Oct. 28, you can register to vote either in person or online.
“So you can go to an early voting center, if you aren’t already registered, and do an affidavit ballot, which will register you to vote and allow you to vote but only on Saturday, October 28th,” said Dustin Czarny, (D) Elections Commissioner for Onondaga County Board of Elections.
After that, early voting remains open until Sunday, Nov. 5 at 10 early voting sites located across Onondaga County.
“To vote early you have to come in person. You can vote by absentee if you have an excuse. You’re either out of the county, sick, or a variety of other excuses,” said Czarny.
Those absentee ballots need to have already been requested by mail or done online. Otherwise, they can still be filled out in person at the Onondaga County Board of Elections office until Monday, Nov. 6.
“Just know that there’s going to be three props on the ballot so don’t forget to turn your ballot over because I know a lot of times voters don’t turn their ballots over so there’s a city prop on the ballot and there are two statewide props on the ballot, and then your town-wide and countywide offices,” said Michele Sardo, (R) Elections Commissioner for Onondaga County Board of Elections.
If the Onondaga County Board of Elections receives your voter registration by midnight, Saturday, Oct. 28, you can vote in this fall’s election.
“Because this new voter registration deadline is on the 10th day before the election, that’s also on the first date of early voting. So you can go to an early voting center, if you aren’t already registered, and do an affidavit ballot, which will register you to vote and allow you to vote but only on Saturday, October 28th,” said Czarny.
Also new this year, are accessible voting machines. Voters have the option to either vote the old-fashioned way or they can vote by using the new accessible machines.
If the machine looks a little different to you, it is. The BOE has brand new polling equipment debuting one year before the busier presidential election.
