These are the primary races to watch on Election Day in the Rochester region.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday.
New York's 137th Assembly District
The 137th Assembly District includes parts of Rochester and Gates. Incumbent Demond Meeks is being challenged by Rochester City Council member Willie Lightfoot.
Meeks is a former labor organizer who first ran in 2020. Lightfoot is a retired firefighter, Air Force veteran and former Monroe County legislator.
The two have different philosophies when it comes to addressing crime and violence. Meeks supports clean slate legislation. Lightfoot wants bail reform.
Both candidates tout their community service and share concerns on housing and jobs.
Lightfoot received the Democratic party nomination in the race. However, Meeks didn’t have the party's backing in 2020 either, when he was first elected.
Voters will choose a candidate who will likely be the next City Court judge in Rochester, filling an open seat as current Judge Charles Crimi’s term is ending.
Both candidates are Democrats, attorney and former Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren and criminal defense attorney Michael Geraci.
Geraci is the Monroe County Democratic Committee’s designee. Warren is the former mayor of Rochester who stepped down in 2021 as part of a plea deal in a campaign fraud case.
Both candidates tout their plans for fairness to defendants and each says they are best suited to wear the robe for the next 10-year term on the bench.
Orleans County district attorney
Orleans County District Attorney Joe Cardone is retiring after nearly 33 years in office. Two of his assistant district attorneys, Susan Howard and John Sansone, are hoping to succeed him and are facing off in a Republican primary.
The current first assistant, Susan Howard, has been practicing alongside Cardone since the beginning of her law career 24 years ago. Howard became first assistant in 2011, after her opponent, John Sansone, held the position for four years.
Both candidates share decades of experience, a concern for current bail reform laws and a will to partner with law enforcement to keep the community safe.
Howard has been endorsed by the Conservative Party and the Shooters Committee on Political Education (S.C.O.P.E.). Sansone is endorsed by the Orleans County Sheriff and Minority Leader Bob Ortt.