Democratic View: Preparing to vote this month

Village Elections

First things first: There’s an election this month. If you live in Cayuga Heights, Trumansburg or the village of Dryden, Groton or Lansing, you have an election Sept. 15. Here are the details.

If you already submitted an absentee ballot for the postponed March election, your original vote will count. You need not do anything more.

Cayuga Heights residents will vote for a mayor, justice and three trustees. All other villages will elect two trustees. Only Dryden has a contested election: Democrats Deborah Fisher and Daniel Wakeman face Republicans David Bravo-Cullen and Christine Nash.

You may wear a mask and vote in person at your village hall or at the First Congregational Church in Cayuga Heights from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15. Alternatively, you may request an absentee ballot. See below for details. All ballots must be postmarked by Village Election Day, Sept. 15.

Mail-In Voting

The governor signed legislation to permit COVID-19 concerns as an excuse for absentee voting. You may request an absentee ballot for the Nov. 3 election today, but it will probably not arrive in your mailbox until after Sept. 18. Here are the rules.

Apply for your ballot. You may visit the Board of Elections (128 E. Buffalo St., Ithaca), call them at 607-274-5522 or print out and mail an application from www.elections.ny.gov.

For item 1 on your ballot application, check “temporary illness or physical disability.” That is the current excuse allowed by law for those who wish to vote by mail to avoid COVID infection.

For item 2, if you want a ballot specifically for your village election, write in “Village Election” with a check box beside it.

If you want it for the Nov. 3 election, check “General Election only.” For both, fill out the dates for “Any election…,” giving the range as 09/15/2020 through 11/03/2020.

If you apply in person at the Board of Elections once ballots are available, you can receive your ballot and vote at the same time.

Sign your application, and once you receive your ballot, do not forget to sign the ballot envelope. Comparing signatures is how election inspectors check the validity of your vote. If you do not sign the envelope, your vote will not count.

Unless an executive order makes state ballots postage paid, stamp your ballot envelope with two first class stamps. The post office will deliver it without postage but may bill the Board of Elections. Alternatively, deliver your ballot and signed envelope in person to the Board of Elections.

While I applaud this change to New York’s antique voting laws, voters able to do so should instead take advantage of early voting. The Trump administration hopes to discount mail-in ballots, and most absentee ballots do not get counted until after Election Day.

Voting early at one of the two Tompkins sites will be the safe and convenient way to ensure that your vote is counted Nov. 3. I will post the dates and sites for early voting in my October column, or you can find them at the Board of Elections website.

A Virtual Convention

As a politics nerd, I love the fanfare and silliness of conventions. My first convention was also my first time watching TV. My family didn’t own a television when we first moved to Ithaca, so we watched the convention at our downstairs neighbor’s apartment. To 5-year-old me, it looked like a fun adult party interrupted by loud talking and cheering.

I was lucky enough to attend the 2008 convention in Denver and sat in the nosebleed seats at Invesco Field to watch Barack Obama accept the nomination. The live experience of being a part of history is irreplaceable. But I have to say that the virtual experience the Democrats pulled off this August was exceptional — moving, earnest, diverse, appealing and far more intimate than I would have thought possible.

Volunteer Opportunities

There are many opportunities to volunteer for the upcoming election. I’m currently sending postcards to voters in swing states through Reclaim Our Vote, and I may start Victory Texting soon. Both are stress-free, quarantine-friendly activities that make me feel useful even when I can’t be out there directly contacting voters.

Visit our virtual campaign headquarters to see the various ways you can help: tcdemocrats.org/tc-democrats/campaignhq/

Also, rest in peace, Kirby Edmonds, who assisted our committee more than once in our struggles to become more thoughtful and empathetic human beings.

Kathy Zahler is the former Director of Communications for the Tompkins County Democratic Committee. See the committee website at www.tcdemocrats.org.