Boards of Elections in New York State are required to have both a Republican and Democrat serve as co-commissioner. Image Credit: Zach Jaworski, NCPR
New York State’s deadline to change party status is coming soon, on Saturday, February 14. That matters to many voters because the North Country will have some high-stakes primaries this year.
Richard HallerNorth Country primaries are heating up. The NY deadline to change political party is Feb.14
New York State has closed primaries. If you want to vote for a candidate in this year’s primary election, you need to be registered with their party.
St. Lawrence County election commissioner Jennie Bacon said people can do this by filling out an election form online from their county’s website, through the DMV, or in person at a board of elections office.
“Our office will be open 9-5 in person. But it has to be delivered, it has to be here by 5 o’clock on the 14th,” said Bacon. “It isn’t postmarked. So if someone’s going to be mailing it, we suggest doing that sooner than later because the mail has been taking some time to get here.”
Those who plan on registering through the DMV will have to do so before 2:00 pm on February 13. DMVs in New York will be closed from then until the 17th for a system upgrade.
Bacon said that this early in the year, primary elections aren’t on everyone’s mind. But races aren’t set because candidates can still get on the ballot.
“The problem is a lot of the time people wait to see what the primaries are going to be before deciding to change their party, and at that point it’s too late,” said Bacon.
Congressional candidates in the North Country
Representative Elise Stefanik dropped out of the governor’s race and also announced that she is not running for reelection in NY’s 21st district. Several Republican and Democratic candidates want to succeed her.
Anthony Constantino and Assemblyman Robert Smullen have announced their candidacy and are running against each other for the Republican nomination.
Constantino is the CEO of Sticker Mule, a sticker and merch company, and has been self-funding his campaign. He told News Channel Two that he wants to bring a fresh perspective to the race, “Most politicians say what they need to say to get elected. I speak from the heart, I’m in this to try to do what’s right,” said Constantino.
Anthony Constantino. Photo source: Constantino for Congress Facebook page
Smullen is an Assemblyman who represents portions of the Adirondacks. In a press release, Smullen said his priorities in Congress would be “restoring fiscal sanity, securing the border, supporting law enforcement, defending veterans, and standing up for parents and families.”
Photo: Robert Smullen for Congress
On the Democratic side, Lisbon native and dairy farmer Blake Gendebein, South Glens Falls native Dylan Hewett, and Stuart Amoriell, a restaurant owner in Lake Placid, are competing for the nomination.
Gendebein was the earliest to announce his candidacy in December of 2024. He served as vice chair of the Agri-Mark board of directors. He’s said that you need a farmer’s perspective when creating policy for people in rural America. “We totally understand what’s going on and we have ideas on how to fix it,” he told NCPR.
Blake Gendebien is NY-21 Democrats’ presumptive nominee in an anticipated special election to replace Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. Photo source: Blake Gendebien for the North Country Facebook page
Hewett worked as a deputy assistant U.S. trade representative in the Biden White House. Hewett said if he’s elected, he’ll focus on paid family leave, universal child care, reversing Medicaid cuts and fully funding public education.
Dylan Hewitt. Photo provided by Hewitt for Congress
Amorielle is the owner of the Pickled Pig restaurant in Lake Placid. On his campaign website, he sloganed himself as the ‘independent’ democrat and said he seeks to find common ground with political opponents.
Stuart Amoriell announces his candidacy for the NY-21 House seat at John Brown Farm on Wednesday. Photo: Aaron Marbone, Adirondack Daily Enterprise
Over in NY’s 24th district, which includes portions of Jefferson County, several democratic candidates are running to replace Republican incumbent Claudia Tenney. Those include Alissa Ellman and Diana Kastenbaum.
The deadline to change party status is Feb.14 at 5:00 pm. You can visit your county’s board of elections website, in-person office, or the DMV to fill out a voter registration form.
The primaries are in June.