New York's 2026 primary is coming in hot on June 23, and it is not a light ballot. Voters will help decide party nominees for governor, attorney general, comptroller and a long list of state and local offices. Registration and most absentee requests lock in on June 13, early in-person voting runs June 13 to 21, and polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern on Election Day. Depending on where you live, your ballot can run to more than a thousand positions once county and party slots are counted.
Key dates and absentee rules
If you want to vote in the June 23 primary, you must be registered by June 13. That same June 13 cutoff applies to mail or online requests for absentee and early-mail ballots, while in-person requests can be made through June 22. Completed absentee and early-mail ballots have to be postmarked no later than June 23 or handed in at your county board of elections or any poll site by 9 p.m. on Election Day. Detailed instructions and the official deadline list are posted by the New York State Board of Elections.
Early voting and poll hours
Prefer to skip the Election Day rush and the last-minute stress? Early in-person voting runs June 13 to 21, giving you multiple days to get it done. Exact hours and locations are set county by county, so your schedule will depend on where you live. Some days go late, others lean on weekend hours. Check your county's listing on NYC Votes and related official tools to see when and where you can vote early.
What is on the ballot
This primary mixes city, state and federal action. On tap: the governor's race, attorney general, state comptroller, State Senate and Assembly seats, and in many districts U.S. House and local offices. Once you add county-level and party posts, some ballots break four digits in total contests. Incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul is seeking another term, with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman the leading Republican contender. Attorney General Letitia James is the Democratic incumbent, and Saritha Komatireddy is the main Republican challenger. The statewide comptroller contest features longtime incumbent Thomas DiNapoli and challengers Raj Goyle and Drew Warshaw. A district-by-district rundown of contests is posted in the NYC Board of Elections contest list, while a statewide primer and candidate overview are compiled by FOX 5 New York.
How to confirm your ballot and polling place
Before you head out, it pays to know exactly what you are voting on and where you are supposed to go. The state's voter lookup and mail-ballot tracker tools let you pull up your personal sample ballot, confirm your assigned Election Day poll site, see early-voting locations and follow an early-mail or absentee ballot in transit. Using those official pages cuts down on surprises and makes sure your ballot ends up in the right place.
Quick tips for New Yorkers
Start your planning with the early-voting schedule, since the hours jump around. Some sites stay open late, others are heavy on weekends, and it is easy to get tripped up if you wait until the last minute. Remember that New York's primary is closed, so only voters enrolled in a party can vote in that party's primary. Party-switch deadlines matter if you hoped to change your enrollment for 2026. If you are voting by mail, build in extra time for postal delivery and use the ballot-tracker to confirm that your envelope makes it back. If you decide to hand-deliver your ballot instead, you can drop it at a county board office or any early-vote or Election Day poll site before polls close. City voters can use the NYC Board of Elections contest list along with local tools to match every race and candidate to their address.
After the primary
Winners in each party's primary move on to the November general election on November 3, 2026, which is open to all eligible voters regardless of party enrollment. If you are still unsure about a deadline, whether your ballot can be mailed or needs to be dropped off, or where you should vote, your county board of elections and the official state and city tools are the final word. For a streamlined calendar plus links to sample ballots and how-to guides, see NYC Votes and the New York State Board of Elections guidance.
Sources: the New York State Board of Elections, NYC Votes, local election offices and FOX 5 New York.
Note: If you need help finding your poll site or tracking a ballot, start with the state and city lookup tools linked above, which pull your information directly from the official voter rolls.
Authoritative resources cited in this guide: New York State Board of Elections, NYC Votes, FOX 5 New York, and the NYC Board of Elections contest list.
