CANTON – The president of the League of Women Voters (LWV) of St. Lawrence County has informed the public that changes to state election law now allow voter registration just 10 days prior to the election.

“The 2023 General Election is just around the corner and there have been some changes to state election law. The voter registration deadline is now only ten days before the election and coincides with the first day of Early Voting. This means New Yorkers can now both register to vote and cast an affidavit ballot on that day, a significant reform,” stated Kathleen Stein, LWV president, in a Letter to the Editor.

A second change establishes a system for early voting by mail. It makes permanent the highly successful “no excuses” ballot that was introduced during the pandemic emergency,” Stein noted.

“This new law has been challenged, but the League believes that it will be found to comply with the NYS Constitution,” she said. 

This year’s elections are mostly for local offices, although county voters will also be voting for St. Lawrence County Clerk, St. Lawrence County Sheriff and State Supreme Court Judge.

“State and national elections naturally get far more attention than local ones, but your local officials are directly responsible for making the laws and regulations that affect your community. So, pay attention to this year’s elections.” Stein said. 

You can find a sample ballot for your own voting district on the Board of Elections website https://stlawco.org/Departments/BoardofElections 

Early voting this year will be available from Oct. 28 to Nov. 5. In SLC, there are two places to vote early: 42 Maple St. in Potsdam (next to Kinney Drugs), or 100 Riverside Ave, Ogdensburg (the Dobisky Center). Voters can always cast their ballot on Election Day at their regular polling place on Tuesday, Nov. 7 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

As of this year, if you cast a ballot during the early voting period, or by absentee ballot, you will not be allowed to change your vote on Election Day. 

New Yorkers will also be asked to vote on two ballot proposals to amend the State Constitution: these proposals will be printed on the back of your ballot.   

The first proposal would make the debt limitations placed on small city school districts the same as those for all other school districts; the second would extend for another ten years the authority of local governments to remove from their debt limits debt incurred for the construction of sewage facilities.