Election Day is less than a week and for voters in Monroe County, there's something different on this year's ballot. 

Normally it’s illegal to vote for the same candidate twice, but this year that all changes due to the special election Gov. Andrew Cuomo called in the 25th district to fill the seat of late Congresswoman Louis Slaughter.

So when voters enter the ballot box, they will see two columns for the congressional house race. The first column will be for the normal two year term that a congressperson serves. The second column will be labeled "unexpired term." The winner of the former will become Rochester's representative in January when they are sworn in. The winner of the latter will be NY-25's acting representative until that oath of office is taken. Although it's highly likely that the same candidate will win both contests, the Monroe County Board of Elections Commissioner says it's important to vote for the same candidate in both columns for congressional seniority.

“One of them will say the two year term, the other will say the unexpired term and you get to vote in both and vote for the same candidate in both," said Tom Ferrarese, Monroe County Board of Elections Commissioner. "Again, it makes a lot of sense to say if we’re going to gain that little bit of seniority, even though it’s only a month it will make a difference.” 

The two candidates vying for the position are Democrat Jim Morelle and Republican Jim Maxwell. Morelle has spent more than two decades serving in the state legislature, most recently as the majority leader. Maxwell is a political newcomer — a neurosurgeon whose priorities include controlling the national debt, health care, and protecting the Second Amendment. The two candidates debated last week.

Monroe County has a record number of voters for this election — up 3,000 from the presidential election two years ago. Absentee ballots are up as well; from 2014 they’re up 50 percent. Ferrarese says they’re expecting a high turnout this year so they’re doing everything they can to make sure people know about this change to the ballot.

Once the winning candidate is announced they will almost immediately begin serving. For more on the 25th congressional district race, visit our Decision 2018 Voting Guide.

Cristina, for people who are concerned about the change, a preview of the ballot is right on the Monroe county website so they have an idea of what it looks like before heading to the polls on Tuesday.