BUFFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — For the first time, New Yorkers will be able to vote early instead of using an absentee ballot for this upcoming Election. Registered voters will have 9 days, starting this Saturday to make their vote count if they can't make it to the polls on November 5th or just want to get it over with.
"If you happen to be out of town or happen to be a busy family that can't get out and vote on election day, you have nine more days to do it," Erie County Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner Jeremy Zellner said. "There's nine chances to say 'hey I don't have anything going on I am going to go vote early and get it over with so I don't have to wait in line or worry if it is going to rain sleet or snow on Election Day'."
Zellner says that voting early requires the County to use new e-polling tablets to make check-in more convenient and to help avoid fraud.
Administrators will ask for your name and the tablet will verify your name, address and signature then directly print your ballot. The paper voting will remain the same. On Election Day the e-polling tablets will not be used, but Zellner says the county plans to have the tablets by next year's Election Day.
Here's what you need to know:
- Early voting opens Saturday Oct. 26th and ends Sunday Nov.3rd
- Open 12-9pm weekdays, 12-6pm weekends
- 37 locations across Erie County. One in every town and ten sites in Buffalo. Click here for a full list of sites.
You can go to any early voting polling place no matter what district you are from. So say you live in Buffalo but are near an early voting site in Amherst, you can still go and vote there.
The new program will cost the county $3 million dollars, $2 million of that was funded by the State. Zellner hopes people take advantage of this new convenience of early voting.
