Your Primary Day Primer

Tuesday is Primary Day in New York, and voters will choose party candidates while using new voting machines for the first time. Several local races have no primary contestants, including those involving the 34th state Senate District and the 88th district in the State Assembly.

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.

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 92nd 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, the Staten Island District Attorney 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.

18^th Congressional District

There are no primary races for the 18^th Congressional District. In the November general election Democratic incumbent Nita Lowey is expected to face Republican Jim Russell, founder of Westchester-Rockland Citizens for Immigration Control.

34th District, State Senate

This race is also uncontested. Democratic incumbent Jeff Klein will face Frank Vernuccio, who currently serves as president of the Community Action Civic Association, Inc. 

88st District, State Assembly

Another uncontested primary race. In the general election, Democratic incumbent Amy Paulin will face Bronxville challenger Rene Atayan.

County Court Judge.

In the Conservative Party primary, 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 candidate Douglas J. Martino.

*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.

Here is a quick step-by-step guide for how to use the new voting machines (provided in a previous story by our reporter, William Reynolds):

1.   When a voter enters the polling place, he or she will be handed a scannable ballot, then be escorted to a privacy booth area to 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.

***Voters who want a complete overview of how to use the ImageCast can visit the Westchester County Board of Elections website to download of PDF presentation of the new voting technology. If you'd like a more thorough tutorial before the November election, you can attend one of four demonstrations the county will hold. Officials will be at the County Center from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 3 ; at the Kessel Student Center at Pace University from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 4; and at the Rye Town Court House from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 29 and Oct. 6.

*Where to Vote

To find your polling place, click here and enter your address.