NYers Have Voting Options For General Election [POLL]

NEW YORK — People all over the country will be going to the polls Nov. 3 to select the next president and decide other down-ballot races. This year, for New Yorkers, there are more ways to satisfy their civic duty.

In New York, registered voters can request an absentee ballot up until Oct. 27, though the state Board of Elections said the United States Postal Service advised it cannot guarantee timely delivery of ballot applications that are applied for less than 15 days before the election.

Don't want to mail in your request for an absentee ballot? Well, you can now request one electronically through the state's Electronic Absentee Ballot Application Portal.

Where in previous years you had to affirm that you were going to be absent from your county or were unable to get to the polls because of temporary or permanent illness on Election Day, the state expanded the qualifications to include the risk of contracting or spreading the new coronavirus.

All the deadlines for requesting and sending back mail-in ballots can be found at the state Board of Elections website.

Once you've voted using the mail-in ballot, you now have options besides mailing it back in. You can drop off your completed ballot at your county board of elections office until 9 p.m. Nov. 3 or at any early voting site.

The early voting sites, for those who want to vote in person, but don't want to wait until Nov. 3, will be open for nine days beginning Saturday, Oct. 24 through Sunday, Nov. 1. The times and places for early voting vary by county, so check with your county's board of elections.

Finally, the polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. Because of social distancing guidelines and other requirements, some of the usual places you might have cast a ballot in the past might no longer be open. Again, check with your county's board of elections about any polling site updates.

If you change your mind on Election Day, you may still show up at the polls to cast a ballot — even if you've sent in an absentee ballot.

According to the state Board of Elections, election law recognizes that plans change. "The Board of Elections is required to check the poll book before canvassing any absentee ballot. If the voter comes to the poll site, on Election Day or during early voting and votes in person, the absentee ballot is set aside and not counted.," the elections board website said.

Now that we've talked about your voting options, how are you going to vote this year?

Vote in our unscientific poll and tell us what you think in the comments.