For the second time in two months, New Yorkers get the chance to go to the polls and vote in a crucial primary.
Earlier this year, the state’s highest courts ruled that the district maps created by Democrats were unconstitutional and ordered that they be redrawn. That meant that the primaries for Congress and the State Senate had to be postponed for two months from June until August.
There are several competitive congressional primaries and special elections to watch, but with New York’s already low voter participation, there’s a concern that a rare August primaries, when many New Yorkers are distracted or gone, could send those percentages even lower. will make.
You can vote from Saturday
The early voting period starts on Saturday 13 August and lasts until Sunday 21 August.
You can also vote on Election Day – Tuesday, August 23 – when polling stations are open from 6am to 9pm
Find out where to vote
Most early polling locations will not be the same as the polling station you would go to on Election Day.
You can find both your early polling station and Election Day polling station by entering your address in this State Election Board website.
Voters experiencing problems can call the state’s Election Protection Hotline at 866-390-2992.
Here are some of the top primary races to watch
The tent contest is in Manhattan’s 12th congressional district, where Representative Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat who represents the Upper West Side, will face Representative Carolyn Maloney, who represents the Upper East Side.
Their districts were redrawn and partially merged, but discussions failed to get one of the two influential committee leaders to run for another seat. So mr. Nadler chose not to seek reelection in his 10th District, and went to the primary for Mrs. Maloney’s seat.
New York 2022 elections
As prominent Democratic officials try to defend their records, Republicans see opportunities to break into general election races.
NY governor race: This year, for the first time in more than 75 years, the state vote seems destined to offer only two choices: Government Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, and Representative Lee Zeldin, a Republican. Here’s why.
10th Congressional District: Representative Mondaire Jones, a first-term Democratic congressman facing a competitive race in the redesigned district, has won the approval of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But two women with local bona fides have risen to the front of the pack.
12th Congressional District: As Representatives Jerrold Nadler and Carolyn Maloney, two titans of New York politics, go head-to-head, Suraj Patel tries to find his own way to victory. His aggressive style was on display during a three-party democratic debate.
State Senate: New district maps are causing some incumbents to run into neighboring districts, forcing them to campaign in unfamiliar territory and consider new forms of housing.
A third contender in the race, Suraj Patel, has painted himself as the face of a much-needed generational change. At 38, Mr. Patel, a lawyer who helped run his family’s successful motel business, is half the age of his two more established adversaries.
Mr Patel has challenged Ms Maloney twice before and came closest to victory in 2020 when he lost by four percentage points. But it was difficult to make clear ideological differences between him and both Mrs. Maloney and Mr. Nadler. The pair have contradicted that their seniority matters whether the Democrats stay in power or not.
The reassignment and decision of Mr. Nadler and Ms. Maloney to run in the same district created a rare open seat in the 10th district.
The opportunity has drawn a slew of entrants, including Representative Mondaire Jones, who currently represents a district in Rockland County and parts of Westchester; and Elizabeth Holtzman, once the youngest woman to be elected to the United States House of Representatives and now, at age 81, is competing to become the oldest non-sitting elected representative in Congress.
Daniel Goldman, an impeachment investigator in the trial of former President Donald J. Trump, has never held an elective position but has vast personal wealth to draw on, recently donating $1 million to his campaign.
But it is two local women of color, Councilor Carlina Rivera and Councilor Yuh-Line Niou, who have risen in the race recently. Both already represent parts of the district in their current elected positions.
Ms. Rivera has shifted more downtown, receiving support from the real estate industry, unions and left-wing members of the Brooklyn Democratic Party. She calls herself a pragmatic progressive. Mrs. Niou has taken the left lane with the support of the Working Families Party.
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Voter turnout will be a big factor in both races, said Christina Greer, a political scientist at Fordham University.
“If you think of a district like the 10th or the 12th, those are the two districts in New York where I’d say a disproportionate number of people are not currently in New York City,” Professor Greer said.
The most interesting Republican primaries are in western New York’s 23rd congressional district, where Carl Paladino, a Buffalo-area developer and former governor candidate who has made headlines for racist, sexist, and homophobic comments, takes on his former ally, Nick Langworthy, the chairman of the Republican Party.
Both men are strong conservatives and supporters of Mr. Trump, but Mr. Langworthy has characterized Mr. Paladino as a liability to Republican candidate for governor Lee Zeldin for his derogatory statements.
Despite previous comments praising Adolf Hitler as “the kind of leader we need today” and comparing Michelle Obama to a gorilla, Mr. Paladino has a financial advantage and has gained the support of Representative Elise Stefanik, the No. 3 Republican. in the House of Representatives.
“That’s about what the neighborhood wants. Both candidates are MAGA,” said Bruce Gyory, a Democratic strategist. “Are they going to get the political operative version in Langworthy or will they get the pure, unadulterated floor show with Paladino?”
In the newly formed 17th congressional district, Sean Patrick Maloney, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, takes on a challenge from the left flank by Alessandra Biaggi, a state senator, in a proxy fight between the moderate and left wings of the party.
Maloney faced heavy criticism after the districts were redrawn, and he chose to run in a potentially safer district owned by Mr. Jones, who in 2020 became one of the first black, openly gay men elected to Congress.
Maloney’s decision led to a reprimand for putting his own reelection interests ahead of the party’s by choosing the reasonably safer seat. Mr. Jones then moved 20 miles further into Manhattan’s new 10th congressional district, instead of challenging Representative Jamaal Bowman, another black Democrat in a neighboring district.
Ms. Biaggi was supported by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Mr. Maloney was recently supported by former President Bill Clinton.
Can I switch sides on Primary Day?
No.
A loophole caused by the decision to split the primaries would have voters allowed to change their party registration up to and including Primary Day.
The New York State Board of Elections requested closure of the loophole, and a state Supreme Court judge complied with. Voters had until August 11 to switch sides.
Two special elections are also on the agenda
A special election for the 19th congressional district, one of the few true swing districts in the country, could help determine who controls the House in the upcoming midterm elections.
The seat was vacated when Governor Kathy Hochul chose former Representative Antonio Delgado as her lieutenant governor, following the resignation of former lieutenant governor Brian Benjamin after he was charged with fraud and bribery.
Dutchess County executive director Marc Molinaro, a Republican, is up against Ulster County executive director, Pat Ryan, a Democrat, to serve the remainder of Mr. Delgado’s term. As the district’s lines have been redrawn, an election will be held at the same time this year for the newly drawn 19th District.
Mr. Molinaro will run for a full term in the new 19th district in November, while Mr. Ryan — even if he defeats Mr. Molinaro on August 23 — will run in the 18th congressional district.
The winner of the race will nevertheless participate in their new competition with the advantage of the established order. If mr. Ryan can keep the seat for his party, that will give Democrats a boost in the midterm elections.
“In the short term, Democrats will be able to boast that everything is changing,” said Mr. Gyory.
Another special election is being held in the old contours of the 23rd district, to fill the remainder of the term vacated by Representative Tom Reed, a Republican who left the House in May.
Joe Sempolinski, a local Republican leader and former congressional aide, is expected to keep the district under Republican control. He will not run for a full term in the November midterm elections; that seat will most likely go to the winner of the Republican primary between Mr. Paladino and Mr. Langworthy.
Can I vote in my absence?
The deadline to apply for an absence ballot online has passed, but voters can still get one at their local provincial election council until Monday, August 22.
The ballot must be returned by post no later than August 23, with a postmark, or in person at a polling station before 9 p.m. that day.
A change in state law means that voters in New York state will not be able to vote on a voting machine if they have already asked to vote in the absence. Voters who have applied for an absentee ballot can still vote in person during the early voting period or on Election Day by means of a sworn ballot.
Once the election is complete, the election officials will determine whether the absentee vote has been received. The ballot is counted if the ballot is not received. If the ballot is received in the absence, the ballot will not be counted.