What’s the June 23 primary, and can I vote?

If you feel “behind the 8 ball” about voting in the June primary, join the club. This post contains 3 action items for the Syracuse voter; see them at the very end.

June snuck up on me. Because “summer waits” here in Syracuse, June always feels really far away until it’s suddenly here…especially this year, since time flies when you’re quarantining. Right around the corner is the June 23 primary. Being an informed voter doesn’t just mean knowing the names and issues related to the presidency, but also understanding the process, the positions, and the people in local elections. That starts with getting a say in who’s on the final ballot by participating in a primary election.

In this short post, I’m going to tell you what a primary is, who votes in a primary, and the three voting formats this year. In an upcoming post I’ll preview the ballot and candidates themselves with an eye toward social justice, the tenets of the present BLM movement, and social safety nets in Syracuse – stay tuned!

What’s a primary?

A primary election does not determine the “winner” or who will hold the office for the upcoming term. Rather, a primary decides which names will be on the ballot for each major political party in the general election. In other words, a primary answers the question: “Who do the _____[party]____ members want as their group’s choice on Election Day?”

The primary election this June will include primary votes at three levels: national (presidential candidate, convention members, and congress), state (state senate & assembly), and local (which includes county votes and city/town votes, such as judges).

Who votes in a primary?

Since a primary election is about determining the preferred candidate of each major party, only the registered members of each party can vote in the primary.

In other words, you can only have a say in the Democrats’ preferred nominee if you are a registered Democrat. Same goes for Republicans, and in Syracuse, for Independents. If you’re not a registered member of a political party (with registration reflective of your Syracuse address), you won’t be able to vote in the June 23 primary this year.

Am I registered to vote? Am I registered with a party?

1. Go to https://www.nass.org/can-I-vote

2. Click “voter registration status” and enter your name, birthday, and zip code. It’s fast and secure.

3. The site will return your current voter registration, which will include your last registered address, your assigned polling (voting) place, and whether you’re registered with a party.

If you’re registered with the Democratic, Conservative, SAM, or Independence party, you are eligible to vote in the June 23 primary. If you’re not already registered with one of those parties, or if you’re not registered to vote at all, you can’t vote in the June 23 primary – BUT THERE IS STILL TIME TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN THE NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION. Register at NASS.org or text “register” to 50409, the number for Resistbot – a volunteer-run and donation-funded bot that helps Americans write to their elected officials.

How do I vote: mail-in voting, early voting, and standard voting

If you’re registered and eligible to vote in the June 23 primary, you have three options for voting: vote in person on June 23, vote early between June 13-June 22, or vote by mail via absentee ballot.

Voting by mail using an absentee ballot. This year, New Yorkers had the option of voting by mail due to Coronavirus, including in the June 23 primary. Governor Cuomo issued an executive order in April that allows for all NY state residents to vote by mail in this year’s primary (June 23) and general election (November 3) to keep down the spread of COVID-19 at polling places. If you were registered to vote in May, you should have received an application to vote by mail via an absentee ballot. The application came with a postage-paid envelope and instructions to register for absentee ballot due to temporary illness. Your application must be postmarked by June 16 in order to vote via absentee ballot in the June 23 primary.

If you want to vote by mail in the June 23 primary, you must postmark or email your application by June 16.

Lost your application? Click here to fill one out now. Then email your application to absentee@ongov.net or mail it to the address on the application.

It’s important to note that registering to vote via absentee ballot in the primary does not register you to vote by mail in the general election – you’ll have to submit another application after July 1. [Note: I haven’t found information (yet) on whether the state will send out new applications with pre-paid postage so voters can register to vote by mail in the general election. When I find out, I’ll update this post.]

Once you’ve applied, you should receive a ballot in the mail. Your ballot must be postmarked by June 22 for your vote to count in the primary election.

In-person early voting. Onondaga county residents have the option to vote early at several polling places around the county between June 13 and June 21. Click here to see a list of the 6 early voting locations and the dates/times for early voting between now and the primary.

In-person voting on June 23. If you’re registered, your registration information will tell you your “polling place” – the physical address for where you can vote. Mine is a local school building about 15 minutes away on foot, or 3 minutes by car. Polling places will be open from 6am to 9pm EST on June 23.

Action items for the Syracuse Voter:

1. Check your voter registration.
2. If you’re registered with a party, decide HOW you will vote in the June 23 primary: by mail, in person early, or in person on June 23.
3. Find your polling place and time. Remember that polling places are open at different times for early voting than for the actual primary vote on June 23 – double-check the time.

Thanks for reading! In my next post I’ll preview the ballot for the June 23 democratic primary, including the offices and who’s running.