Voters in Cattaraugus County will be facing changes in the way they can cast a ballot from home and when they can vote early and where in Olean for the upcoming Presidential Primary, announced Cattaraugus County Election Commissioners Kevin Burleson and Cortney Spittler.

This year, for the first time, any registered voter may apply for an early mail ballot. Each person must apply for themselves. It is a felony to make a false statement in an application for an early mail ballot, to attempt to cast an illegal ballot, or to help anyone to cast an illegal ballot.

Ballots may be requested through an on-line portal found on the New York State Board of Elections website: (https://elections.ny.gov/request-ballot). A paper form can also be downloaded from the state board of elections website, printed and mailed to the county board of elections and received by March 23.

Ballot requests after March 23 must be done in-person or by designating another person to deliver the application in-person to the local county board of elections and receive the ballot.

Applications requesting to receive an absentee ballot by mail must be received by the board of elections no later than ten days before the election. For absentee ballots to be received in-person, applications must be received by the board no later than the day before the election.

Early in-person voting for the Presidential Primary, March 23-30, will be available only eight days with nine hours each. No early voting will be available Easter Sunday on March 31. Because voters will have one less day to vote early, each of the days will be extended by one hour – from eight hours to nine hours long. This state-wide change was approved by the state legislature and signed into law by the Governor last September.

Cattaraugus County will have two locations for voters to cast their ballots: one in the gymnasium at the former Little Valley School building, 207 Rock City St., Little Valley, NY and the other will be at the Community Room in the College Center at the Olean Campus of Jamestown Community College, 260 North Union Street, Olean, NY. This Olean location was previously used for early voting in 2019. Both locations are accessible all voters.

Hours for both sites are as follows:

• Saturday, March 23 from 9am to 6pm
• Sunday, March 24 from 9am to 6pm
• Monday, March 25 from 7am to 4pm
• Tuesday, March 26 from 11am to 8pm
• Wednesday, March 27 from 11am to 8pm
• Thursday, March 28 from 7am to 4pm
• Friday, March 29 from 7am to 4pm
• Saturday, March 30 from 9am to 6pm

To be eligible to vote at Early Voting or Election Day, a new voter must be registered in either the Republican or Democratic parties by March 23, 2024. (Those who were previously registered and wished to have changed their party enrollment must have done so by Feb. 14.)

Eligible voters may vote early, however, those who register on March 23rd, the first day of Early Voting, will have to vote by affidavit ballot. Persons who vote during the early voting period are NOT eligible to vote on Election Day (April 2) or on a subsequent day of early voting.

New York State voters are no longer permitted to cast a ballot on a voting machine if they have already been issued an absentee ballot for that election to prevent double voting. Voters who have already been issued an absentee ballot can still vote in-person using an affidavit ballot.

Questions

More information available at www.CattCo.org/Board-Elections or by calling the Cattaraugus County Board of Election office (716) 938-2400