In-person early voting starts in New York and New Jersey
NEW YORK - Early voting is underway in New York and New Jersey.
The process is just like voting on Election Day, but as CBS2's Dave Carlin reports, early voting locations tend to differ from the polling places you count on for Election Day.
Now through Nov. 6, registered voters get an early chance to get ahead of this dutiful exercise and scratch voting for the 2022 general election off the to-do list and get it nice and done.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gov. Kathy Hochul cast her vote in Buffalo on Saturday, stopping to speak to workers and posing for pictures outside.
Hochul's Republican opponent, Congressman Lee Zeldin, was joined by several local officials, including New York City Council member Robert Holden, for a "Get Out the Vote" and "Early Voting" rally in Middle Village, Queens.
Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis cast her ballot on Staten Island. She's hoping to keep her seat in the 11th Congressional District, which encompasses all of Staten Island and a slice of southern Brooklyn.
Democrat Max Rose is vying for her seat. He tweeted pictures Saturday of an Early Voting rally he held in Brooklyn.
The one-term congressman is looking to make a return after losing the 11th District seat to Malliotakis two years ago by six points.
Meanwhile, reporting for work Saturday morning as an elections coordinator in Manhattan's SoHo was Tonia Benjamin.
"We did need that nine days because they're able to come out on the weekends when they're off," she said.
She said these voters appear to be the types who hate procrastinating and like getting such an important task out of the way at the earliest opportunity.
"In this case, I wanted to be present as soon as I could," voter Stefano Albertini said. "There's a sense of urgency for this election. It feels that we're not only voting for a party or for a candidate, but for a way of life and for values that go beyond politics."
As CBS2's Dave Carlin reports, "I Voted Early" wristbands and stickers were going fast at one SoHo church polling place, which saw 600 voters by mid-afternoon.
"A lot of them want to come out and vote and get it done with, and they know that they did their duties and are happy about that," Benjamin said.
There was also a steady stream of voters at Jack Alter Fort Lee Community Center in New Jersey's Bergen County.
"They were expecting it to be slow, but nonstop, people keep coming in and it's very good to see that," poll worker Claudia Sanchez said.
"Makes it so convenient, large modern facility," Fort Lee resident Tony Limbardo said.
"I think it's the duty of everybody to vote and make it their business to vote," Fort Lee resident Alfredo Sanchez said.
"If you don't vote early voting, you can just go vote Election Day," Claudia Sanchez said.
Everyone planning to take advantage of Early Voting in the coming days is reminded to check the location, which may blocks away from the place you'd expect to be voting on Election Day.
Connecticut does not offer in-person Early Voting before Election Day, but registered voters can request absentee ballots if they will not be able to appear at their assigned polling place on Election Day due to sickness, physical disability or absence.
For more on when and where you can vote, check out our voter guide.
