A Primary Day Primer

Tuesday is Primary Day in New York, when voters registered with a political party cast their choices for nominees in a range of offices for the November elections. While voters will choose party candidates, they'll also be using new voting machines for the first time. Several local races have heated up—both the New York State Senate and Assembly seats are up for grabs, and races for Governor and Attorney General have several candidates vying for a spot in November's general election.

Whether you're still deciding for whom to vote or are puzzled about the new voting machines, Patch's guide should supply you with all the information you need before you enter the voting booth.

*A Guide to the Races

Governor

The Republican primary will pit Rick A. Lazio, a native Long Islander and former member of the U.S House of Representatives against Carl P. Paladino, a former lawyer and conservative who has the backing of the Tea Party. Ralph C. Lorigo, a lawyer and Conservative Party chairman from Erie County, is also on the ballot. Whoever wins the primary will face Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat and the state's current Attorney General.

Lieutenant Governor

Gregory J. Edwards, the current County Executive for Chautauqua County, is a candidate for Lieutenant Governor and Lazio's running mate. Thomas V. Ognibene, a conservative and former member of the New York City Council who ran for mayor against Michael Bloomberg, is Paladino's chosen running mate.

State Attorney General

Five Democrats are running for Attorney General: Richard Brodsky, a member of the State Assembly representing the 92^nd district since 1982; Eric T. Schniederman, a progressive Democrat and member of the state Senate since 1998; Sean Coffey, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Eric R. DiNallo, former Assistant District Attorney, Assistant Attorney General, and head of the New York State Insurance Department; and Kathleen Rice, the District Attorney for Nassau County. The Democratic primary winner will face Daniel Donovan, a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the only Republican candidate.

U.S. Senator (full term)

The Republican primary involves two candidates: Gary Berntsen, a retired CIA officer and businessman, and Jay Townsend, a businessman who owns the consulting firm The Townsend Group. The winner will face Democrat Charles E. Schumer, the current U.S. Senator.

U.S. Senator (unexpired term)

Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2009 when Hillary Clinton became U.S. Secretary of State, will face Gail Goode, a former lawyer for the New York City Transit Authority. 

The Republican candidates include Joseph J. DioGuardi, an accountant who spent two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives; David Malpass, an economist and former State Department and Treasury Department official during the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations; and Bruce Blakeman, an attorney and former member of the Nassau County Legislature.

19th Congressional District

an eye doctor and Mt. Kisco resident, will run against Neil DiCarlo, chief compliance officer for Advanced Equities Services Corp. The winner will face John Hall, who is currently represents the 19th district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Office of Member of the New York Assembly - 89th District

Mark Jaffe, a West Harrison resident and CEO of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, will run against White Plains Common Council President Thomas Roach in this September's primary. The winner of that election will look to unseat Robert Castelli (R-Goldens Bridge) who will seek a full 2-year term.

The 89th district encompasses White Plains, Harrison, New Castle, Mt. Kisco, Bedford, Lewisboro and Pound Ridge.

For the Office of NY State Senator - 40th Senate District

There is a Republican Party Primary between Mary Beth Murphy and Greg Ball.

There is a Conservative Party 'Opportunity to Ballot' write-in primary.  Mary Beth Murphy's name will be on the ballot, but those wishing to vote for Greg Ball (or anyone else for that matter) may write-in their desired candidate's name.

The 40th NYS Senate district comprises the Westchester towns of Cortlandt, Yorktown, Somers, North Salem, Lewisboro, Pound Ridge, Bedford, Mount Kisco and the City of Peekskill; All of Putnam County; And the Dutchess County towns of Amenia, Beekman, Dover, Milan, North East, Pawling and Pine Plains.

County Court Judge:

Barry E. Warhit, a Scarsdale resident who was appointed to the Westchester County Court in 2010, is running for a full 10-year term against attorney and Republican challenger Douglas J. Martino. They are competing in a Conservative Party primary.

*Using the New Voting Machines

New York is the last state in the country to implement new voting technology after a federal law was passed in 20o2 that mandated changes in the voting process in the wake of the 2000 Gore vs. Bush election. , is an update from the lever machines that voters throughout county have used during previous election cycles.

New voting machine information and a video is available on the town of Bedford  Town's web site. Here is a quick step-by-step guide for how to use the new voting machines (provided in a previous story by Patch reporter, William Reynolds):

1.   When a voter enters the polling place, they will be handed a scannable ballot. They will then be escorted to a privacy booth area where they will physically mark the ballot with a special marking pen.

2.   The voter will then place the completed ballot into a privacy sleeve and take it to the scanning machine.  

 3. The voter will then take the ballot out of the privacy sleeve and feed it into the scanning machine.   

 4. If everything is filled correctly on the ballot, the scanning machine will read 'Ballot Successfully Cast.'   

5. If, however, there is a problem, either with a 'blank ballot,' a ballot with an over vote—say for instance, the voter marked three choices for an office that calls for vote for any two candidates, or a misread—the ballot will be rejected. The ImageCast will notify voters with a series of beeps combined with a warning message on the screen if the ballot is not acceptable. The voter will have two more opportunities to successfully cast his or her ballot, for a total of three opportunities to cast their ballot.

If you'd like a more thorough tutorial before the November election, you can visit the town clerk's office at 321 Bedford Road, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

*Where to Vote in Bedford

Bedford residents have several local polling places. You can visit the county's website and enter your address to find out your polling place.

Voters in Bedford Village should note that St. Patrick's School will no longer be used for voting; all three polling locations (Districts 1, 10 and 17) have been moved to the Presbyterian Church on the Village Green. If you have any questions please call the Board of Elections at 995-5700 or the Town Clerk's office at 666-4534.