Primary changes this year

There are many primary changes in New York State this year in the wake of many New York State election laws.

Tracy Sparks, Franklin County Republican Election Commissioner and Heather Marlow, deputy Democrat commissioner explained some of them to the Free Press recently

The local, state and federal primaries have all be combined and this year the joint primary is June 23. Presidential primaries remain on their own, as they always have, and this year the primary date is April 28.

Hours when primaries are open has also changed. Polls used to be open from noon to 9p.m. Now they are the same as election days: 6:30a.m. to 9p.m. so primary voting is now much longer.

The county board of elections will continue to follow its path of full digitized vote, as was started on Election Day 2019. “We’ll be continuing to use our poll pads” where voters sign in on them, rather than the signing books which were used for decades here, explained Mrs. Sparks. The poll pads at each polling station prevent voters from voting more than once.

In New York State all primaries are closed to those registered in a political party. “You have to be a member of that party to participate in its party primary, said Mrs. Sparks. Some states have open primaries where residents can vote in a primary, regardless their party affiliation.

For example, someone couldn’t vote in the presidential primary for Bernie Sanders, if they weren’t a registered Democrat.

She said there were some issues over who could vote in what primary during the 2016 presidential election.

That fact that New York’s primaries are closed to a single party “is a constitutional issue for New York State.”

In 2016 the Sanders campaign challenged New York’s closed primary system. Mrs. Sparks said, however, that can never change unless there is an amendment to the state constitution. That also involves passage of bills in two consecutive legislatures which requires four years because state lawmakers’ terms are two years. Once both houses pass it in in two separate terms, then it must be put to voters as a ballot question in the year of the second term.

Mrs. Sparks couldn’t explain the rationale why some state’s offer open primaries, where people of any party can vote in the party primary.

In New York State parties caucus at the local level but hold primaries for any contests above the local level. To participate in a primary, candidates must collect signatures on their petitions.

To participate in the June primaries, people must be registered in a political party by April 3, either by appearing at the board of elections in Malone in person or have it mailed in with a post mark before that date. Party changes had to be filed by February 14.

For people to register to vote in Tupper Lake Mrs. Sparks will be at the Ivy Terrace Community Room on March 7 from 10a.m. to 1p.m.

Tracy said she may do a voter registration in Saranac Lake too.

On March 7 Mrs. Sparks will also have with her absentee voter applications.

One of Governor Cuomo’s extensive list of election changes last year was early voting. Due to cost and security considerations last November there was only early voting in Malone, not in the southern Franklin County communities.

Last November 328 residents took advantage of the early voting option. There were some from Tupper Lake who made the tip to Malone to vote early, There were 52 election law changes in the comprehensive overhaul of the state’s voting laws.

There will be nine days of early voting in Malone for the presidential primary- from April 18 to April 26. On Saturdays and Sundays the hours will be 9a.m. to 2p.m.. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays hours will be 9a.m. to 5p.m.. On Tuesdays and Thursdays during the nine-day period in April the hours will be noon to 8p.m.

There will also be early voting for the June primary season.