Early voting starts Friday for Onondaga County’s June 23 primary

Syracuse-area voters get nine days to cast a primary ballot before Election Day, and the first deadline lands the same day early voting opens. June 13 is the last day to register for the June 23 primary and the final day to request an early mail or absentee ballot to be received by mail.

In Onondaga County, early voting runs from June 13 through June 21 for the June 23 primary. The county says voters may cast a ballot at any early voting site if they are registered with a political party holding a primary in their city or town, and anyone who votes early will not be eligible to vote again on Election Day. Early ballots will be canvassed and reported after 9 p.m. on June 23.

County officials have posted eight early voting sites for the primary in Syracuse and surrounding towns, including the Armond Magnarelli Community Center at McChesney Park, Beauchamp Branch Library, Camillus Fire Department, Clay Town Hall, DeWitt Town Hall, LaFayette Community Center, North Syracuse Community Center and Syracuse Community Connections, which is at the Southwest Community Center. The county says two new early voting sites were added for 2026.

The ballot itself is drawing attention beyond routine local turnout. Onondaga County has eight contested primaries countywide, and some of the most closely watched races are already pulling in outside money and national names. In the 129th Assembly District, Democratic voters will choose between state Assemblymember Bill Magnarelli and Onondaga County Legislator Maurice “Mo” Brown, a race that has attracted an endorsement from Gov. Kathy Hochul and support for Brown from Bernie Sanders. Local reporting has also said DoorDash-funded advertising is backing Magnarelli.

For city and county voters, the stakes go well beyond one Assembly seat. The primary will help decide who sets policy on schools, policing, housing and city services, and it comes as county legislative races are being conducted under a new structure approved by voters in 2025. That proposition changed Onondaga County legislators’ terms from two years to four years and imposed a three-consecutive-term limit for legislators elected after January 1, 2026.

Brown and allied candidates have tried to center housing, transportation, childcare and affordability in campaign events tied to an “Affordability Slate,” pushing those issues directly into the local debate. With early voting starting Friday, the mechanics are straightforward: check the site, bring the right registration status, vote once and make the ballot count before the June 23 primary closes the book.