BUFFALO, N.Y. — Starting Saturday, polls will be open for early voting in Erie County every day until June 21, according to the county's Board of Elections.
Early voting gets underway at noon Saturday. There will be 37 precincts available across the county, the largest number of any county across New York.
2 On Your Side's Karys Belger spoke with both commissioners of the Erie County Board of Elections. They explained extra measures were put in place in addition to social distancing.
Personal protective equipment has was ordered for people working the polls and the board of elections has contracted with a company to wipe down equipment after use.
"Our inspectors are gonna have masks on. We’re encouraging people to have masks when they go to the polls. We’re gonna have plenty of hand sanitizer there for them to use to disinfect," Commissioner Jeremy Zellner told 2 On Your Side.
The increased health measures are not anticipated to produce longer wait times according to Commissioner Ralph Mohr.
"We have 37 sites which are open. In addition to that, we have very long hours. Noon to nine on weekdays and noon to six on weekends," Mohr told 2 On Your Side.
Voters who are eligible to take part in the presidential primary and special elections are able to cast an early ballot at any polling place, regardless of their address. For a full list of locations, click here.
Polling places will be open from 12 p.m until 6 p.m. on weekends and 12 p.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Friday. Safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will be observed for poll workers and those voting.
For those who don't vote early, Election Day is June 23.
