A Voters Guide to Elections from the League of Women Voters of the Cooperstown Area

Voting: The Time To Prepare Is Now

On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, New Yorkers will be voting for president, vice president, senator, members of congress, and state legislators. November 5 may be 10 months away, but the 2024 election season begins now.

“How can that be?” you might wonder. The answer is related to how New York runs its primary elections. Primary elections are used by political parties to choose candidates to run for offices in a general election. The first primary election in New York in 2024 is the Presidential Preference Primary on April 2; the New York State primary election follows on June 25. The candidates who win the Presidential Preference Primary continue on to their party’s conventions; the winners of the New York primary will appear on the ballot in November.

New York State has a closed primary, which means only registered voters who are enrolled in a party may participate in that party’s primary election. So, in New York State, if you wish to vote in the presidential primary on April 2 or the New York State primary on June 26, you must be enrolled in a party that has candidates running in the primary. Registered Republicans may only vote for Republican candidates and registered Democrats may only vote for candidates from the Democratic Party who are in the primaries.

In addition, the only way for current “unaffiliated” voters to vote in the primaries is by changing enrollment from unaffiliated to one of the parties. The deadline for changing your enrollment—either from one party to the other or from unaffiliated to one of the parties— is February 14.

This February 14 deadline applies only to currently registered voters. If you are not currently registered to vote in New York, the last day to register and be eligible to vote in the upcoming primaries is March 23, 2024.

In an ideal world, the primary process would not be this complicated. But here are some hints to help you find out if you are eligible to vote in the two upcoming primaries.

First, check your voting status at https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/Otsego County. Once you know your status, the next steps are easy, whether you want to update your registration or simply register to vote.

The next step is to get a voter registration form. There are several ways to do this:

• Pick one up from the County Board of Elections (140 County Highway 33W, Suite 2, Cooperstown, NY 13326).
• Download a form at (https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/download/voting/voteregform-eng-fillable.pdf), fill it out and return the form to the County Board of Elections either by mail (postmarked by March 18) or in person.
• Register online at https://www.elections.ny.gov/OnlineVoterReg.html.
  Complete the form and adhere to these deadlines:
• If you want to change your enrollment so you are eligible to vote in either of the primaries, you need to return your voter registration form before February 14.
• If are not currently registered to vote in New York, you must register before March 23 if you wish to vote in the presidential primary or before June 15 for the New York State primary.

Keep in mind that only primary elections are closed. At the general election in November, it will not matter how you are registered. When you vote, you can choose any candidate on the ballot.

Remember, your vote makes a difference, so take some time to get ready to go to the polls.

Throughout the election season, the League of Women Voters will be exploring the issues surrounding the elections and helping you prepare for election season 2024.

Patty MacLeish and Aviva Schneider are members of the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of the Cooperstown Area.

Dates To Remember

The Otsego County Board of Elections maintains an excellent page that includes more details about the deadlines for all the upcoming elections. Add it to your browser bookmarks: https://www.otsegocounty.com/departments/board_of_elections/index.php

Important Deadlines for Upcoming Elections

Presidential Primary Election

• February 14: Last day for the Board of Elections to receive change of party enrollment
• March 18: Last day to postmark voter registration by mail
• March 23: Last day for BOE to receive early mail ballot or absentee ballot application online or by mail
• March 23: Last day to register in-person
• March 23-30: Early Voting
• April 1: Last day to apply in-person for an early mail ballot or absentee ballot
• April 2: Election Day. Polls open 6am-9pm

2024 New York State Primary Election

• February 14: Last day for BOE to receive change of party enrollment
• June 15: Last day for BOE to receive early mail ballot or absentee ballot application online or by mail
• June 15: Last day to register in-person
• June 15-23: Early Voting
• Jun 24: Last day to apply in-person for an early mail ballot or absentee ballot
• June 25: Election Day. Polls open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.