Early voting will take place from Saturday, Oct. 24, to Sunday, Nov. 1, and us Tribecans will be rocking it old school at the Church of St. Anthony of Padua on Houston and Sullivan. So there’s the advantage of being able to say a little reflexive prayer when you mark your ballot.
You can double check me here, but I looked up several addresses across the district and we are all the same. (Thanks for the ping from R. and this reminder: “Can never imagine a scene at PS 234 again such as the one for the last presidential election, toe to toe, double lines, waiting inside for a looong time, breathing on each other. Sigh.”)
Hours vary a bit every day:
Also, my pals at Epicenter-NYC put together this handy absentee voting guide:
How: You can request an absentee ballot here, email your request to apply4absentee@boe.nyc or call 866-VOTE-NYC. Absentee ballot requests must be completed by Oct. 27, or Nov. 2 if filing in person, but as with all things voting, the earlier the better.
When: The Board of Elections will begin sending out absentee ballots on Sept. 18 on a rolling basis. You must send in your absentee ballot by Nov. 3, and it must be received by Nov. 10. You can also drop off your absentee ballot early at your local poll site or the Board of Elections office at 200 Varick (at Houston), which will help you bypass the postal service saga gripping the country and avoid crowds.
Why: When asked to list your reason for requesting an absentee ballot, select “temporary illness or disability,” which covers the risk of Covid-19.
If you request an absentee ballot and change your mind and decide to vote in person, that’s OK, too.
Bonus: The NYC Board of Elections recently introduced a new program to track your absentee ballot.
Voting early is the way to go if you can make it work for you.
I voted early in the last 2 elections and there was no waiting and ample social distancing measures in place.