Tuesday is primary election day in New York.

With the coronavirus pandemic on the decline, but still present in New York, the state has sent out absentee ballot applications to eligible voters ahead of the primary. Early voting also began almost two weeks ago.

What You Need To Know


  • With the coronavirus still present, absentee balloting was encouraged; early voting was also in place

  • Albany County DA's race is garnering much attention

  • Aside from presidential primary, there are also local primaries for Congressional, Assembly seats

Voting times and locations vary depending on where you live. To find your polling location, go to the state Board of Elections website and search by county.

Those who do go to the polls on Tuesday will notice some changes. Locations will be enforcing social distancing and mask wearing mandates. They will also be sanitizing polling stations all throughout the day to keep people safe.

If you are going to the polls today, you'll need to bring a mask. You can vote until 9 p.m.

For a full analysis of what the primary could look like, click here.

In the Capital Region, one of the races being closely watched is the battle for Albany County District Attorney, in which Democratic incumbent David Soares is seeking a fifth term. His challenger, Matt Toporowski, is a former prosecutor in Soares' office.

While Soares has been an outspoken critic of the criminal justice reforms that went into effect at the beginning of the year, Toporowski has maintained his support for the changes.

For more on this race, click here.

Two candidates are competing in the Republican primary to represent the 19th Congressional District. Ola Hawatmeh owns a fashion business, and is a philanthropist and conservative activist. She founded the Middle East Women's Coalition, which endorses President Donald Trump's reelection. She backs gun rights and Trump's immigration agenda, and opposes abortion and New York's bail reform.

Kyle Van De Water is a local attorney. His platform includes strong protections for gun owners and support for Trump's economic and border policies. He opposes bail reform.

In the Democratic primary race for the 108th Assembly district seat, incumbent John McDonald is facing off against challenger Samuel Fein.

McDonald, the former mayor of Cohoes, has held the office since 2013. He's the chairperson of the Oversight, Analysis, and Investigations Committee, and he sits on a number of others. Fein is a former Albany County legislator, having served for two terms.

Elsewhere in the Hudson Valley, Meagan Galligan and Frank LaBuda are both looking to replace Jim Farrell as Sullivan County district attorney. Farrell left his post earlier this year after being elected county judge.

Galligan, with the DA’s office for more than a decade, has been serving as the county's acting DA since Farrell's departure. Before that, she served as chief assistant DA.

LaBuda served as a county judge from 1997 to 2019. He also served as chief assistant DA for 10 years.