The next election will take place on Tuesday, November 3rd. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
When can I vote?
Voters in New York are now able to vote during a 9-day-long period before Election Day, at a limited number of polling locations during limited hours. The locations in 2020 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 polls will be open from October 24th until November 1st, at variable hours.
PLEASE vote early if you can, because that will allow our volunteers to focus on helping the people who have not yet voted.
Find more information at the website of the Tompkins County Board of Elections, here.
Will I be able to vote absentee?
Most likely yes. Due to COVID-19, the governor made an exception to the rules which allowed all New York State voters to request an absentee ballot. A separate ruling must be made for the November election, but is expected. The state legislature is also working to clarify conditions for counting absentee ballots that arrive without a postmark, allowance for "stray marks" that would currently disqualify an absentee ballot, and so forth.
What will the ballot look like?
We don't know yet, because some ballot lines are still being decided. For example, it is possible that Joe Biden will appear on both the Democratic Party line and the Working Families Party line.
Who is voting?
In the general election, all registered voters can vote.
Do I have to be registered?
Yes. The deadline to register for the general election is ______________. 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!
What if I would like to run for office myself?
If you are a Democrat and would like to run for town office in 2021, you should meet with your county Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner, and/or with the Democratic Committee in your town or county. They can advise you on the requirements, especially regarding the petitioning process and deadlines and the filing of financial reports.
If there are multiple candidates for the Democratic nominee for these positions, there will be primaries in June.
From 2019 onward, all primaries in New York will take place in June and the general elections will be in November -- the only exception is the Presidential primary, which can vary.