Early voting is underway ahead of next Tuesday’s primary election that will determine the Democratic Party’s candidates for President of the United States, New York’s First Congressional District, and the State Senate’s First District.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo issued an executive order allowing New York residents to vote by absentee ballot for the primary election and ensuring voters receive a postage-paid absentee ballot application. A subsequent order extended the deadline to submit absentee ballots by one day, until Tuesday, June 23. The deadline to send in an absentee ballot application is Tuesday, June 16. Those who have not received their applications in the mail can dowload them on New York State Board of Elections website or on the Suffolk County Board of Elections site. They must be printed, filled out, and mailed no later than Tuesday, June 16.
Early voting began on Saturday and continues through Sunday. In East Hampton it is being held in Community Room 2 at the Windmill Village housing complex, at 219 Accabonac Road in East Hampton. In Southampton there is early voting at the Stony Brook Southampton gymnasium at 70 Tuckahoe Road. The times are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Voters must wear a face covering and maintain a six-foot distance from others.
For registered voters who sent an absentee ballot application on time and received a ballot in the mail, the postmark deadline for returning the ballot to the Suffolk County Board of Elections is Tuesday, June 23.
Due to the pandemic, there will be fewer polling stations for in-person voting in East Hampton on Tuesday. Voters whose polling station has been moved are to receive a letter from the Suffolk County Board of Elections. Voters’ polling station can be determined by entering their name, date of birth, ZIP code, and county at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov.
Polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23. A face covering and social distancing will be required. Cate Rogers, chairwoman of the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee, can be contacted at [email protected] for more information.
Although former Vice President Joseph Biden is the Democrats’ presumptive nominee for president, having amassed the required number of delegates to the party’s nominating convention, the once-crowded field of candidates remains on the ballot despite having suspended their campaigns. Including Mr. Biden, 11 candidates are on the ballot, as are delegates affiliated with a specific candidate.
The League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island and North Fork sponsored a June 1 debate between the First Congressional District candidates Perry Gershon, Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming, Nancy Goroff, and Gregory-John Fischer. Another debate featuring the State Senate candidates Laura Ahearn, Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Valerie Cartwright, Skyler Johnson, Southampton Town Councilman Tommy-John Schiavoni, and Nora Higgins happened on June 8. Both can be seen on the YouTube channel of SEA-TV, Southampton’s public access station.
The winning Democratic candidate for the First Congressional District will face Representative Lee Zeldin in the Nov. 3 election. Mr. Zeldin, who unseated Representative Tim Bishop in 2014, is seeking a fourth term. He defeated Mr. Gershon, who lives in East Hampton, by four percentage points in the 2018 midterm election.
The Democratic candidate for State Senate who finishes on top in the primary election will face the Republican candidate, Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo. He or the Democratic candidate will succeed Senator Kenneth P. LaValle, the longtime incumbent who has announced his retirement.