Voting Options as November Election Nears

In Suffolk County, eligible voters have three options for voting: absentee ballot, in person during early voting from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1, and at their polling places on Nov. 3.

An absentee ballot application can be downloaded now from the board of elections website. Links to the application, in English and Spanish, are at suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/BOE. Voters can also request an application by sending an email to the board of elections at [email protected], or by calling the board of elections at 631-852-4500. The board of elections is expected to begin sending absentee ballots to voters on Sept. 18.

Completed absentee ballots must be mailed at least seven days before the election; in this year's case, the cutoff is Oct. 27. Absentee ballots can be hand-delivered to the board of elections at 700 Yaphank Avenue in Yaphank by Nov. 2. 

In East Hampton Town, early voting will take place at the Windmill Village housing complex at 219 Accabonac Road in East Hampton. Early voting in Southampton will happen at the Stony Brook University campus. 

Hours for early voting are not uniform. Polling stations will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 26, from noon to 8 p.m. on Oct. 27 and 30, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 28 and 29.

A voter registration form is also available on the board of elections website. Forms can also be found at libraries and some government offices. The deadline to register for the upcoming Election Day is Oct. 9.

Absentee Drop-off Plan, in Accordance with Executive Order 202.61

1. The Public can drop off Suffolk voters’ absentee ballots at the Suffolk County Board of Elections at 700 Yaphank Avenue, Yaphank NY.
   The Board’s staff will be available at the entrance of the building to receive and secure absentee ballots during regular business hours,
   Monday Through Friday - 9 AM to 4:30 PM.
2. In addition, the public can drop off Suffolk voters’ absentee ballots at any Early Voting or Election Day Polling Place.
   1. The Board will provide signage at each polling place directing those dropping off absentee ballots to the Coordinator’s station. Signs will be placed at the entrance of each location and at the Coordinator’s station to identify where a voter can drop-off an absentee ballot.
   2. The person delivering said ballots will maintain control of the ballot(s) at all times.
   3. The Board will instruct the person delivering the ballot(s) to place their ballot(s) within the emergency ballot slot of a tabulator.
   4. At the end of the evening, the Board will place the absentee ballots in a sealed bag and a bipartisan team will deliver the sealed bag to the Board of Elections.
   5. If the Board finds an abandoned absentee ballot inside of one of its Polling Places, it shall secure said ballot in a manner consistent with this plan.