What to know as early voting in New York State begins Saturday for Nov. 7 election

Voters line up to cast ballots early in Rockville Centre... — Voters line up to cast ballots early in Rockville Centre last October. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin

By Michael Gormleymichael.gormley@newsday.com @GormleyAlbanyUpdated October 27, 2023

ALBANY — Early voting begins Saturday statewide during which registered voters may cast ballots over a nine-day period before Election Day on Nov. 7.

Here are some facts about early voting:

When is the early election period this year?

Early voting begins Saturday and extends through Sunday, Nov. 5. No polls will be open Nov. 6, the day before the traditional Election Day.

Where are early voting sites?

Suffolk County has 27 early voting sites. Voters may use any of the sites. A voter’s traditional polling site may not be on the list because not all polling places are open for early voting.

In Suffolk County, the list of early voting sites is at https://suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/BOE/2023-General-Election-Dates-and-Time s.

Nassau County also has 27 early voting sites and voters may use any one of them. The sites are listed through the “early voting” link at https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/566/Board-of-Elections.

Early voting sites can change from year to year, so voters should confirm if an early voting polling place is available this year.

When are early voting polls open?

In Suffolk County, the early voting sites are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, as well as on Nov. 4 and Nov. 5. The sites are open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Nov. 2 and Nov. 3, the sites are open from noon to 8 p.m.

In Nassau County, the early voting polls are open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday, Nov. 4 and Nov. 5. The polls are also open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 3.

Who can vote?

Registered voters may cast ballots during early voting. Voters may check their eligibility to vote through a state Board of Elections portal at https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/.

May I vote early, then change it on Election Day?

No. Under state law, when a ballot is cast during early voting, that voter can’t vote again during early voting or on Election Day.

Where may I get more information?

Nassau County voters may contact https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/BOE/index.html or call (516) 571-VOTE.

The Suffolk County Board of Elections may be contacted at https://suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/BOE or at 631-852-4500.

How popular is early voting?

Most years, including last year, early voting attracts as much as 20% of the total statewide vote. In Nassau County, 123,115 votes were cast during early voting in 2022, while Suffolk County recorded 98,226 early votes, according to the state Board of Elections.

Early voting began in New York in 2019. The Sunday before Election Day has proved to be the most popular early voting day statewide.

When is the traditional Election Day?

Voters may cast ballots at their local polling places on Nov. 7 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. A voter can determine their polling place through the state’s voter lookup at https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/.