Early Voting Debuts in Nassau County for the 2019 Election

Kylie Finnigan
Nov 5 · 3 min read
Early voting polls at the Mineola location. Photo by Kylie Finnigan.

For the first time in state history, registered voters of New York were able to cast their ballots before the general election. During the nine-day period of Oct. 26 through Nov. 3, voters had the option to hit the polls before election day at 15 locations throughout Nassau County.

“It’s very important to have early voting in Nassau County. New York State is the 38th state in the country to have early voting and normally ranks near the bottom in voter participation. Having nine days of early voting and multiple sites makes voting more convenient for everyone,” said James Scheuerman, Democratic Commissioner of Nassau County.

Republican Commissioner of Nassau County, Carol Busketta, could not be reached for comment.

New York’s New Law

As part of the election law package passed in January, early voting aims to reverse New York’s voter turnout record.

Each county in New York is required to establish one early polling place for every 50,000 registered voters, with a maximum of seven places. Nassau County has exceeded this requirement having a total of 15 sites.

On the first day of early voting, Nassau County had 3,235 voter check-ins. Now, Nassau County reported 30,018 early voter cast ballots from Oct. 26 through Nov. 3.

Technology at the Polls

iPads will now be used to check-in all Nassau County voters, with the help of a poll inspector. Voters will type in their names and check themselves in and will be required to sign their names as well, so their identity can be checked from their signature.

Once their information is found, it will say if you’ve already voted and if you’re eligible to vote. If on election day you’re at the wrong site, the iPad will give you directions to your correct location.

“Your ballot prints out because we’re not wasting paper by printing too many ballots. It prints out every single person that comes in and gets your own ballot styles to you sign. After that process, it’s normal voting and you bubble in your candidates,” said Rudy Boodram, IT team member of the Nassau County Board of Elections.

Poll inspectors assist voters in checking in on the new iPads. Photo by Kylie Finnigan.

Voting At Any Location

Early voting allows voters to get personalized ballots at any voting location. If a Nassau County resident has changed their location, party or even just works closer to another polling location, they can vote at that early voting location instead.

Bayville Resident Danny Milano is one of the many who have benefitted from early voting.

“It’s going marvelous. Really, as people are enjoying it, they might work a double shift on Tuesday, they can’t get out so now, they can get to these polls in 10 days,” said Milano. “I live in Bayville, so that’s like 45 minutes away, so I’m not going to take an hour and a half to go there and back when I can sit down and eat dinner or lunch or something.”

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade