DEFINITION
What is a primary election?
An election used to narrow the field of candidates, think basketball or soccer playoff games which decide which teams play in the final.
Who is New York's Governor? Are they running for re-election?
New York's Governor is Kathy Hochul. She is a Democrat and has been in office since 2021.
She is running for re-election.
What offices will people be voting for in 2026?
U.S. House, NYS Senate, NYS Assembly, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and Controller. There is not a race for U.S. Senate this year.
To get nonpartisan information about the candidates, Ballotpedia: Information about Elections, Elected Officials and Candidates: ballotpedia.org, League of Women Voters Candidate Guide: vote411.org and New York City Campaign Finance Board Candidate Guide: nyccfb.info
What is a closed primary?
Only registered party members can participate in a political party's primary election.
Eligibility to vote in a primary is determined by each state and New York has closed primaries. The winner of a primary election for a statewide or federal election is the candidate who receives the greatest number of votes, even if he or she does not win more than 50 percent of votes cast.
Ranked choice voting is used for NYC mayoral and city council primary elections - this voting method requires the winner to earn 50% +1 of the votes cast.
General elections are open to all registered voters.
How many State Assembly members does NY have?
150...Each member represents a district that has 134,772 people. The U.S. Constitution requires a count of all residents take place every 10 years. This count is used to determine that each political district has equal representation. Each member represents 129,474 residents.
NYS also has 63 State Senators who each represent approximately 319,000 residents.
What is early voting?
Instead of having just one day to vote, voters in NYS get to vote over 10 days.
Early voting for the 2026 primary runs from 6/13-6/21. People can vote early voting for the 2026 General election from 10/24-11/1.
To find out where your polling site is, visit voterlookup.elections.ny.gov
What are the mid-term elections?
The 2026 elections are called mid-term elections because they are held during the mid-point of the President's four-year term of office.
During the mid-term elections, voters elect candidates to federal offices (Senate and Representatives) and candidates for state offices (State Assembly and Senate).
Who represents me?
Answers vary. It depends on where you live. Go to ballotready.org Who Represents me?
When is New York's election?
The primary election is June 23.
The general election is November 3.