Photo by Harriet Flehinger on West End Avenue.
New Yorkers can vote early this year, hopefully shortening lines and keeping the risk of Covid-19 contagion down. Voting early is easy but you have to know the rules.
For instance: You can’t just vote at any of the early voting locations you feel like. Each person is assigned a location based on their address. It will most likely be different from your normal Election Day voting location. There are three spots on the UWS, listed below:
To find your location, you can enter your address here. The hours for early voting are below. You MUST wear a mask (duh)!
You can also drop off your absentee ballot at an early voting site. If you need an absentee ballot, apply for one here or call 1-866-868-3692 before October 27.
Send us a photo of you and your I Voted sticker if you’d like!
Thanks for providing this information to West Siders! If anyone has further questions, you can call the League of Women Voters of the City of New York at 212-725-3541. Our phones will be open whenever the polls are.
You can also log any complaints at vote.lwvnyc.org/complaints. We will compile the complaints for written and verbal testimony to the Board of Elections (no identifying information will be provided). If you have an urgent issue while voting, call the Board of Elections at 1-866-VOTE-NYC.
If you have an absentee ballot that you have not completed, can you bring it to your early voting location and hand it in for the ability to vote from the machine instead?
Tara- it’s sounds like you are asking if you can vote in person even if you already requested an absentee ballot. Yes- NY Election law states that only your in-person vote will count in that case. I requested an absentee ballot in case I got sick during the in-person voting period, but plan to vote in person today instead.
Yes that is my situation as well. I have an absentee ballot but plan to go in person to vote because absentee ballots will not be counted until 10 days after the election. Thanks!
Tara, if you are making the effort to get to an early polling place, then JUST VOTE THERE. Votes cast at the polling place are counted on election night, but absentee ballots aren’t counted until after the polls close and can take days or weeks to tally. Plus we know that there have been some shenanigans already concerning absentee ballots. Voting early in-person is easy, and safety protocols are strictly followed.
Hi Tara,
You can’t use an absentee ballot to vote in person. You have to get the scannable ballot from the poll worker at your early voting site to vote in person. You can bring the completed absentee ballot in its signed oath envelope and mailing envelope to any poll site, but you can only drop it in the absentee ballot drop box.
Where on West End Avenue are these wonderful and fun pumpkins?
I know you have a specific early voting location, but can you drop off your absentee ballot at any early voting location, or just the one assigned to you?
Hi Arana,
You can drop off the absentee ballot at any poll site within the five boroughs, not just your assigned site. You only have to go to your assigned site to vote in person.
You can also drop off completed absentee ballots at the county Board of Elections in any of the five boroughs.
Your paper is the best! I’m at the 102nd St. polling place. I knew to line up at 101st because of you. There were a bunch of people waiting on the 102nd St. side and had to line up behind me (I must be 40th in line). Thanks for info!