Orange County sets early voting plan for June 23 primary

Orange County voters enrolled in the Democratic, Conservative, Republican and Working Families parties will need to act now, because early voting for the June 23 primary will run from Saturday, June 13 through Sunday, June 21 at eight sites across the county.

The contest is not a countywide free-for-all. Only voters registered with eligible parties can cast ballots in their party’s primary, and the races on the ballot are narrow but consequential: Democrats will vote countywide for comptroller and in the 39th Senate District, Conservatives will vote in the 42nd Senate District and 99th Assembly District for judicial delegate spots, Republicans in Chester Ward One will choose a council member, and Working Families voters in the Town of Newburgh will pick a town justice.

Primary Day polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23. Early voting sites will be open on a countywide schedule that varies by day, with some weekdays running from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The eight locations are the Middletown Senior Center, Newburgh Activity Center, Howard Wheat Engine Company in Port Jervis, Caroline Building in Goshen, Village of Montgomery Senior Center, Monroe Town Hall, New Windsor Community Center and Warwick Senior Center.

The county said all eight early-voting sites will be accessible to voters with physical disabilities. Voters who use early voting will not be able to vote again on Election Day or by absentee ballot, a rule meant to prevent duplicate voting while giving people several chances to cast a ballot before June 23.

There is still time for new voters and voters who need to update their registration, but not much. New York State says mail and in-person registration applications for the June 23 primary must be received by Saturday, June 13. The state also says county boards certified the primary ballot by April 30, after the ballot-position drawing on April 23.

For Orange County voters who want an absentee or early mail ballot, the Board of Elections office at 75 Webster Avenue in Goshen will accept in-person requests. The office normally is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but it will stay open until 8 p.m. on Monday, June 15 and Tuesday, June 16, and it will also be open both early-voting weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The local political backdrop is tight enough to matter. Orange County election materials link to a May 12 appellate determination summary tied to the Town of Newburgh, where a reported council race recount showed a 3,224 to 3,223 margin. In a year when a single vote has already separated contenders in one town contest, the county’s June primary will test turnout in Middletown, Newburgh, Port Jervis, Goshen, Montgomery, Monroe, New Windsor, Chester and Warwick.