Orange County urges voters to use early voting for primary

Orange County voters have nine days of early voting before the June 23 primary, and election officials are urging residents to use that window instead of waiting for a single Tuesday rush. The county will again run eight early voting sites, from Middletown to Warwick, for a ballot that includes state races and several sharply local contests.

Because New York uses closed primaries, party enrollment will determine which races each voter can take part in. The ballot includes Democratic primary contests for state comptroller and the 39th State Senate District, Conservative Party primaries in the 42nd Senate District and 99th Assembly District, a Republican primary for Town of Chester Ward 1 council member, and a Working Families Party race for Town of Newburgh justice.

The county’s eight early voting locations are the Middletown Senior Center, Newburgh Activity Center, Howard Wheat Engine Co. in Port Jervis, the Caroline Building in Goshen, the Village of Montgomery Senior Center, Monroe Town Hall, the New Windsor Community Center and Warwick Senior Center. Orange County says every site is accessible to voters with physical disabilities, giving residents from the city centers to the towns a local option before Election Day.

Primary Day is Tuesday, June 23, with countywide polls open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Orange County Board of Elections office in Goshen will stay open until 8 p.m. on Monday, June 15, and Tuesday, June 16, and it will also be open both weekends during early voting from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for ballot applications and other in-person voting help.

The calendar is tight. New York’s primary registration deadline is June 13, the same day early voting begins, and Orange County says address changes must be received at least 10 days before a primary, special or general election. Voters who cast a ballot during early voting cannot vote again on Election Day, and residents choosing mail voting need to watch the deadlines closely: early mail ballot applications sent by mail must arrive no later than 10 days before the election, while in-person requests can be made up to the day before Election Day.

For Orange County, the point of early voting is simple: keep local races from being decided by last-minute confusion, and make it easier for voters in Goshen, Newburgh, Middletown and the rest of the county to reach the ballot box on their own schedule.