Did you just turn 18 or did you just move to the area? Voting for the first time can be an intimidating thing: Who do you vote for? Which district are you? Where are the polling places or call times? These are all questions to ask yourself before election day rolls around on Nov. 7.
As early voting is currently happening and election day is fast approaching, here are some things you should know.
Who’s running?
Schenectady is broken into districts. Districts 1,2, 4-10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 21, 25, 28, 35 will all have the same ballot (LD 1), while the districts 3, 11, 14, 17-20, 22-24, 26, 27, 29-34 will have their own ballot (LD 2). On those ballots most of the candidates are the same with the exception of county legislators for both.
Here’s who’s running:
- Supreme Court Justice: Carl G. Falocito (D), Paul E. Davenport (R and Conservative).
- Family Court Judge: Kevin A. Burke (D and Conservative).
- County Legislator (LD 1): Richard A. Patierne (D and Conservative), Richard W. Ruzzo (D and Conservative).
- County Legislator (LD 2): Gary E. Hughes (D and Conservative), Haileab Samuel (D and Conservative).
- Mayor: Gary R. McCarthy (D and Conservative), Matthew Nelligan (R and Save Schenectady), Edward J. Varno (Working Families).
- City Councilmember:
- Democratic party: Doreen M. Ditoro (D and Conservative), Carmel R. Patrick (D and Conservative), Carl E. Williams (D and Working Families), Joseph M. Mancini (D, Conservative and Working Families),
- Republican party: Kevin Hammer (R and Save Schenectady), Bryan Barrett (R and Save Schenectady), Jacob Dobbs (R, Save Schenectady and Conservative), Stephanie Hayes (R and Save Schenectady).
What District are you located in?
Here are some interactive maps from the Schenectady County Board of Elections to help you decide.
In a more indepth look at where your district falls in Schenectady, click here.
Where to vote?
Whether you’re voting early or voting on election day, knowing where to place your vote is a vital part of election day.
If voting early is the ideal way to go, all eligible voters will be able to vote at any of these voting sites:
- Glenville Senior Center, 32 Worden Rd, Glenville
- Niskayuna Town Hall, 1 Niskayuna Circle, Niskayuna
- South Schenectady Volunteer Fire Department #6, 6 Old Mariaville Rd, Schenectady
- Hon. Karen B Johnson Library, 99 Clinton St., Schenectady
Times for voting early have been extended too.
- Saturday, October 28 – 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
- Sunday, October 29 – 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
- Monday, October 30 – Noon – 8:00 P.M.
- Tuesday, October 31 – 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
- Wednesday, November 1 – Noon – 8:00 P.M.
- Thursday, November 2 – 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
- Friday, November 3 – 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
- Saturday, November 4 – 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
- Sunday, November 5 — 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
For more information on voting in Schenectady on election day, you can read more here. To find where your designated voting place is on election day, visit https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov.
Read our article from June to check out your voter registration status here: https://yourschenectady.news/voting-in-schenectady/
