Voting Options and Deadlines for the New York State June 23, 2020 Primary Election

ALBANY, NY (06/13/2020) (readMedia)-- Voting Options and Deadlines for the New York State June 23, 2020 Primary Election

ALBANY – June 12 – All New York State voters have three options to vote in the upcoming June 23, 2020 primary election: by absentee ballot, during the nine day early voting period, or on election day. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the New York State Board of Elections encourages voters to vote by absentee ballot for all elections taking place on June 23, 2020 in order to avoid long lines and the risks associated with coronavirus.

A survey of County Boards of Elections shows that New Yorkers are requesting absentee ballots for the June 23rd primary in record numbers. In the 2016 presidential primary, for the entire primary there was a total of 157,885 absentee ballots requested. To date, there have already been over 1,070,198 absentee ballots requested for the June 23, 2020 primary. That's a rate that is nearly seven times the numbers from four years ago, and the application period is still open.

For any voter asking for an absentee ballot to be mailed to them, the application must be either received at their local board of election by close of business on June 16, or if sending by mail, postmarked on or before June 16. After that, voters can continue to apply for absentees in person at their local board of elections through the close of business on Monday, June 22nd. Voters may also vote early in person from June 13th to June 21st. Check with your local board of elections for hours and locations.

If a voter chooses to vote by absentee, they should expect to receive a ballot with two envelopes, an inner oath envelope and an outer return envelope. Once the ballot is marked and placed in the inner envelope, it is critical that the voter sign, and date the inner absentee ballot envelope on the space provided and seal it. That is placed in the outer envelope and returned to the Board of Elections. Absentee ballots must be postmarked or returned to the applicable Board of Elections by June 23, 2020.

Another way for voters to avoid crowds and assist in social distancing is to take advantage of nine days of early voting from June 13, 2020 – June 21, 2020 ahead of Election Day. All early voting and election day poll sites have been designed to adhere to social distancing guideline. Please be patient as six-foot distancing guidelines may slow the process and increase lines. Please wear a mask to any early voting site or election day poll site, or one will be provided to you. To find your early voting location, please go to your County Board of Elections website for location and hours of operation.

For voters who do not choose to take advantage of absentee ballot voting or early voting, election day poll sites across the state are open for fifteen hours, 6AM to 9PM, on June 23, 2020.

Unofficial election night results will be available on the NYSBOE website on June 23, 2020. These unofficial results will only include early voting and election day results. Unofficial election night results will not include absentee ballot returns. The deadline to postmark an absentee ballots is June 23, 2020 and that ballot must be received by June 30, 2020. Each Board has a public canvass procedure on when absentee ballots will be counted.

-30-