How to vote this year: North country elections officials outline changes, options for voters

“I want voters to know their vote is taken care of and we will make sure that it counts,” said Michelle LaFave, Jefferson County Democratic elections commissioner. “They don’t have anything to worry about it. They can go out and vote and know their vote is safe and protected here.”

The rules regarding voting in this year’s election have changed somewhat since the last presidential election in 2016. Most notable are the changes to absentee ballots.

The process to vote by absentee ballot has been made much more accessible this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe. Since mid-August, registered voters have been able to call, email, fax or mail their local Board of Elections and request applications for absentee ballots. In years past, requests couldn’t be submitted until early October.

Voters can also download a PDF version of the application form from the New York state elections webpage — www.elections.ny.gov — fill it out at home, then mail, fax, email or hand-deliver the form to their local Board of Elections. They can also walk into their local Board of Elections’ offices and fill out forms in person. On Sept. 1, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced the state set up a new online absentee ballot application portal at absenteeballot.elections.ny.gov. There, voters each can fill out an online form with their county, name, date of birth and ZIP code, and request that an absentee ballot be sent to their home.

In Jefferson County, voters who have submitted applications for absentee ballots can also track the status of their ballots online at co.jefferson.ny.us/absentee-voting.

The Jefferson County Board of Elections began mailing out military and overseas absentee ballots on Sept. 18, and started sending out absentee ballots to voters in Jefferson County and the rest of the U.S. on Sept. 25.

Once a voter receives their absentee ballot in the mail, elections officials are encouraging them to carefully read all the enclosed documentation.

Voters will find their ballot, a ballot envelope and a larger, return envelope in their absentee ballot package.

Jude Seymour, the Republican elections commissioner for Jefferson County, said the most commonly forgotten step when filling out an absentee ballot is signing the ballot envelope.

“The most important thing is to sign and date that ballot envelope,” he said. “We can’t do anything with the ballot if that envelope isn’t signed.”

Mr. Seymour said New York state has established a process in which local Boards of Elections can get in touch with voters who may have forgotten certain steps while filling out their absentee ballots.

“Basically it’s going to allow a period, for the first time, after the election for us to reach out to people who submitted their ballots at the very end and allow them an opportunity to fix a mistake that is fixable,” he said. “There will be some mistakes that are not fixable.”

Once a ballot is filled out, in blue or black pen, and sealed inside its inner and outer envelopes, voters should affix a stamp and send it to their local Board of Elections. In past years, absentee ballots have been considered bulk mail, and individual voters have not needed to pay for a stamp. That changed this year when the U.S. Postal Service reclassified absentee ballots as priority mail.

If a voter is mailing their ballot, they should do so as soon as possible. Local Boards of Elections want ballots returned as soon as possible, and they can be returned immediately. The USPS is recommending absentee ballots be mailed back to local Boards of Elections by Oct. 27 this year.

The last day to mail an absentee ballot is Election Day, and in New York, ballots must be received at the Board of Elections office by Nov. 10 if they are sent through the mail.

Voters will also be able to drop their ballots off at their county Board of Elections office any time between now and Election Day. On Election Day, or during early voting, those with absentee ballots can drop their ballots off at any open poll site, without waiting in line.

Voters who decide not to vote by absentee ballot this year will have the option to vote early. This is the second election year, and the first presidential election, in which New Yorkers will be able to vote early.

From Oct. 24, until Nov. 1, anyone already registered to vote will be able to cast their ballot at their local Board of Elections office, or a site set by their local Board of Elections.

Less populated counties, like Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence, typically have one polling place open for early voting — at the county Board of Elections office. More populous counties often have more polling sites available. The early voting process is exactly the same as voting on Election Day.

Even voters who have requested an absentee ballot can cast a ballot in person provided they did not already return the absentee ballot.

As always, on Election Day, in-person voting will be available as well. For Jefferson County, voters can look up their polling places and sample ballots with their specific national and local candidates at co.jefferson.ny.us/departments/Elections/jefferson-county-ny-poll-sites. In Lewis County, a list of polling sites is viewable at lewiscounty.org/media/Board%20of%20Elections/Click%20Here!.pdf, and in St. Lawrence County, call the county Board of Elections at 315-379-2202 for a list of poll site locations.

Any voter registered in New York state can look up their registration information and polling site at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov.