ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- In New York, the 2024 Presidential Primary Election is set for Tuesday, April 2. If you're planning on voting in the primary, there are a few things you need to know before you head for the polls.
Deadlines for voting
To vote in the presidential primary, you must be registered by March 23. You also must be enrolled as a member of a party to vote in that party’s primary.
To vote, you can either send in an early mail or absentee ballot (if you qualify), vote early in person, or vote in person on Primary Day. You can apply for an early mail or absentee ballot on the New York Elections website at least 10 days before the primary. Those ballots then need to be received by your county Board of Elections by April 9.
Early voting takes place from Saturday, March 23 to Saturday, March 30. If you choose to vote early or by mail, you cannot vote again on Primary Day. On Primary Day in New York, polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. For early voting, polls are open at various times based on your county's Board of Elections locations.
Why are candidates who dropped out still on the ballot?
When it comes to voting, you'll either get the Democratic or Republican ballot depending on which party you're enrolled in. Since it's the Presidential Primary Election, you'll only be voting for the candidate you want to be president, and if you have the Democratic ballot, you can vote for delegates to the Democratic National Convention. The delegates vary depending on which congressional district you're in.
In New York, four candidates were certified for the Republican Primary ballot: Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley. On the Democratic side, three candidates qualified via petitions: Joe Biden, Dean Phillips, and Marianne Williamson.
As of March 13, Trump on the Republican side, and Biden and Williamson on the Democratic side, have not dropped out of the race. However, all nine candidates will still be listed on their respective ballots. Why?
According to the New York State Board of Elections, suspending a campaign does not automatically remove someone's name from the ballot. A ballot-certified candidate can only remove their name if they submit a removal request by the party’s deadline.
The Republican party's deadline was on February 6 and no one submitted the request by then, said the NYS Board of Elections. However, candidates have until March 26 to request that any votes cast for them be deemed void.
Since Biden, Phillips, and Williamson were qualified via petitions, they will all appear on the Democratic primary ballot. The delegates on the Democratic ballot had until February 6 to decline the designation, but none of the candidates submitted a request by the deadline, said the NYS Board of Elections.
Voting locations
To find out where to go for early voting or voting on Primary Day, you can visit your county’s Board of Elections website. Here is the list of websites for the Capital Region counties:
- Albany County Board of Elections
- Schenectady County Board of Elections
- Rensselaer County Board of Elections
- Saratoga County Board of Elections
- Montgomery County Board of Elections
- Fulton County Board of Elections
- Greene County Board of Elections
- Columbia County Board of Elections
- Warren County Board of Elections
- Washington County Board of Elections
All of this information and more can be found on the New York State Board of Elections website. The federal, state and local primaries are set for June 25, with the general election set to take place on November 5.