Presidential primaries will be held in New York and three other states (Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin) on Tuesday, but they aren't really close races.
Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican former President Donald Trump have already secured enough delegates to win their parties' nominations at this summer's political conventions.
Still, this decision may provide a clue as to the enthusiasm of basic voters for the next presidential election.
Lisa Nicolay, Monroe County Republican elections director, said the board of elections has conducted several elections this year, including Tuesday's presidential primary, June 25th federal, state and local primaries, and the Nov. 7 general election. He said he has tried to keep most polling places the same.
“There have been some changes,” Nikolai said. “About a month ago, everyone received a postcard letting them know where their polling place was. Also, if they chose to vote absentee, the postcard said so.”
Nikolai expects turnout on Tuesday to be around 18-20%. In New York State, only those registered as Democrats or Republicans can vote in the primary.
Voting for Tuesday's presidential primary will be held across the state from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Monroe County Democratic Elections Director Jackie Ortiz said interest in the primary has already been shown during several days of early voting.
“Thousands of people voted in the eight days that early voting was available,” Ortiz said. “So at this point we certainly expect voters to come out to vote, but obviously primaries are always lower (turnout) than general elections.”
Both election officials said the county is in pretty good shape right now in terms of the number of election inspectors and other staff needed for three busy elections a year. However, he also said people may still need to fill slots for the November election, so if you are interested in applying for a paid position, please contact your county elections board.
If you have any questions about where to vote Tuesday or apply for the election supervisor position, please contact the Monroe County Board of Elections through their website or by phone at (585) 753-1550.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
