To make your voice heard, you have to get to the polls and cast your ballot on Election Day.
So the first thing you’ll need to do is find your polling station. Some of them changed this year. Onondaga County changed 37 of its polling places, including 10 in the city of Syracuse. The changes were caused by the lack of disability ramp access at some buildings, limited parking and construction concerns at the old polling places.
Election officials sent yellow cards in the mail to remind voters where their designated polling stations are. But for some voters that isn’t enough.
“I didn’t pay any attention to it because I figured it’s at the same place.” [Don Mansfield, 58, Marketing Analyst]
“Actually, it was just changed. Two years ago. It used to be Meecham school ? but now it’s back to Clary again.” [Patty Waelder, 45, disability development worker]
“Last year actually as well, a lot of people shifting around the city ? I think I’ll be in the same place, so far. ” [Chris Travis, 29, Student, SUNY-ESF]
Here’s an easy way to find your polling station:
Go to the Board of Elections’ Web site at www.ongov.net. You’ll find the Board of Elections under “other departments” of county government. Once on the Board of Elections site, you go to its section called “Polling Places.” There you can us its “Polling Place Look-Up” to find yours.
For the primary on Tuesday, September 18, polling stations open at noon.
For the general election on November 6th, the polls open at 6 a.m.
Once you go in:
· Someone will ask for you for a valid photo ID, like a driver’s license or passport to verify that you’re a registered voter.
· You’ll then be directed to a machine where you can pull a lever to vote for your candidate.
· Physically handicapped voters will be allowed to have help in the voting booth.
When polling stations close at 9 p.m., election inspectors call in the results to the Election Board, where all the absentee votes have been scanned in. If there are no problems, the winners should be announced that evening, reported to the local news.
Again, the reminders: You can find your polling place at the Board of Elections’ Web site. The primary is Tuesday, September 18, and the general election is November 6th.
For Democracywise, I’m Daniel Yang.
(Daniel Yang is a graduate student in broadcast journalism.)
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