Those vying for the 25th Congressional District seat have only a few weeks to get their names on the ballot. The seat now sits vacant following the passing of Louise Slaughter. Candidates must submit a petition of 1250 signatures by April 12 to be placed on the primary ballot. 

“That’s kind of the tough part of it, because with only two weeks being left, it means you got to get a lot done within a short period of time,” said Board of Elections Commissioner Tom Ferrarese.

The primary has been set for June. However, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has the right to call a special election at any time. Ferrarese says conducting the special election simultaneously with the general election in November would not only protect the public but it would save money. 

“We would have to find or lease like 700-800 machines because they have to be on a different machine,” said Ferrarese. “The real objective here is to make sure that whoever is our Congress member here that they have seniority over any new other Congress members.” 

The federal primary is set for June 26. The winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries would then face each other in the November special election.