BUFFALO, N.Y. — If you're voting in a primary election, you can actually be doing that right now in Erie County.
Early voting got started Saturday at sites around Western New York, and you can vote through June 21 from noon to 9 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 6 p.m. on weekends.
If you go, it's encouraged that you remember to wear a mask.
You can find the closet site on your local board of elections website, where you can also request an absentee ballot, though you only have a few more days to do that. The ballot must be postmarked by primary day, which is a week from Tuesday.
According to the Erie County Board of Elections, 372 voters cast ballots Saturday and 286 more cast ballots on Sunday, bringing the two-day total to 658.
"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 last week.
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 9 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 6 p.m. on weekends," Mohr said.
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.
Early voting is also underway in the other counties of Western New York. The polling times vary depending on where you live. Here are the details by county.
Niagara County
Chautauqua County
Cattaraugus County
Allegany County
Orleans County
Wyoming County
Genesee County