You Can Vote Today. Here's How

an early voting kickoff special [View this email in your browser]( [Keep friends and family informed. Forward the Politics Brief.]( Early Voting Begins Today [a voting booth] Scott Heins/Gothamist Good morning from your favorite Tuesday afternoon politics newsletter! We're coming to you with a special edition of the Politics Brief on this Saturday because today, June 12th, marks the first day of the early voting period in the extremely consequential New York City primary. [Here's what you need to know]( Are the polls open now? If you're reading this after 8 a.m., yes. But between today and Sunday, June 20th, when the early voting period ends, the hours will vary. So, [check here]( to confirm the hours for each day. Can any registered New York City voter show up at any polling place? No. New York has a closed primary system, so if you're not registered with a party that’s holding a primary, you won't be able to vote until the general election in November. If you are a registered Democrat or Republican (or Conservative in the 19th City Council district in Queens), you can cast your ballot at one of the 104 early voting sites across the city. But again, you can’t just show up anywhere. Check [findmypollsite.vote.nyc]( or call 311 to find out which location is your designated early voting site. If I requested an absentee ballot but have since changed my mind and want to vote in person, can I? Yes. Even if you've already submitted it, you can still change your mind and vote in person during early voting or on Primary Day, June 22nd. When election officials start counting those absentee ballots, they first check to see if someone voted in person. If they did, the absentee ballot is not counted. Meanwhile, if you want an absentee ballot and don't have one, the deadline to request one [online]( is June 15th. You can also apply in person at a Board of Elections office through June 21st. How do I avoid crazy lines like the one I waited in last fall during early voting? Honestly, we would love to see [that level]( of participation in a primary election. But if the past is any indicator, turnout tends to drop dramatically in off-cycle local elections. (For context, we had roughly [23% voter turnout]( in the 2013 primary, which was the last open citywide primary race.) So, we're are not expecting to see lines like we did for last fall's presidential election. However, city elections officials are piloting a new map through [their website]( that will show the estimated wait times at early voting sites, so voters can check their location before heading out. — [Reporting by Brigid Bergin]( If you're planning to vote early, we want to hear about it! Did ranked-choice voting go smoothly? Was your polling site prepared? Did you run into crowds? Or are you deliberately planning not to vote early, and to instead wait until Primary Day? Email us at tips@gothamist.com. Gothamist Guides To The 2021 Election [an illustration of a ranked-choice ballot] How To Be A Smarter Ranked-Choice Voter: Do's And Don'ts Rank as many candidates as you can live with. But [don't include the names]( of anyone you really don't want to win. [a graphic of city hall that says "Guide To New York City's 2021 Mayoral Race"] The Complete Guide For Undecided Voters Who's running for mayor. Where their money is coming from. How ranked-choice voting works. Key dates to know. [It's all here](. [a building in Chinatown] Policy Cheat Sheet: Where The Democratic Mayoral Candidates Stand Your [guide]( to the candidates' positions on policing, homelessness, housing, education, parks, bikes, cars, and more. [voting booths in a school gym] Our Guide To All Those Other Races Because judicial elections matter, too, here's [our guide]( to everything on your ballot besides the mayoral contest. Here's What Else Is Happening The five leading Democratic mayoral candidates participated in a two-hour debate Thursday night. After an opening segment where Eric Adams defended himself — and took some heat — in the controversy surrounding the multiple residences he owns, the debate turned to gun violence, street safety, and how the candidates would work with Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The next and final debate will be this coming Wednesday. ([Gothamist]( Also on Thursday night, eight of the ten Democratic comptroller candidates took part in a televised debate. The general vibe that emerged: It's everyone else vs. Corey Johnson. And with police reform taking center stage in the mayor’s race, questions about "defunding the police" and performing financial oversight of the NYPD were also highlights of the debate. ([Gothamist]( Will Black voters in southeast Queens and central Brooklyn who supported Bill de Blasio's progressive mayoral run now back Eric Adams' more moderate campaign? In 2013, Black middle-class voters rallied around de Blasio's message of ending stop-and-frisk policing. Now, on the heels of the "defund the police" movement and a spike in shootings, Adams, a Queens native, has gained support among those same voters with his pro-policing approach to stopping violence. ([Gothamist]( Five former City Council members who were term-limited out of office are running to reclaim a spot in the Council. These veteran lawmakers, who observed the requisite four-year break from holding a Council seat, argue that their experience is sorely needed for managing the post-pandemic recovery. Surprisingly, they have support from some of the watchdogs who typically fight for reforms like term limits. "You need people who know what they're doing," said Betsy Goldbaum, the head of the good government group Citizens Union. ([Gothamist]( Republican establishment favorite Jack Ciatarelli won New Jersey's GOP gubernatorial primary. Ciatarelli, who defeated two Trump loyalists last Tuesday, will face Gov. Phil Murphy in the November general election. Though Democratic voters outnumber Republicans in the state, the last time New Jersey re-elected a Democratic governor was 1977. ([NJ.com]( [BL pod] Christine Quinn's Take On The 2021 City Elections Quinn, the former City Council speaker and 2013 mayoral candidate, shares her thoughts on this month's primary election. Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential election coverage and more. [Donate]( Copyright © 2021 New York Public Radio, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: New York Public Radio 160 Varick Street New York, NY 10013 [unsubscribe]( [update preferences]( [privacy policy](