AGENCY TESTIMONY
Early voting hours and locations for the 2024 presidential election
0:14:50
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114 sec
Michael Ryan details the early voting arrangements for the 2024 presidential election, including the number of locations and voting hours. He notes positive feedback and observations about the early voting process.
- New York City had the most early voting locations in the entire state
- Weekday early voting hours were set from 8 AM to 8 PM, with weekend hours from 8 AM to 5 PM
- Ryan observes that voters and poll workers seem to be in better moods during early voting, possibly due to the flexibility in choosing when to vote
Michael Ryan
0:14:50
But certainly I will say and I will share, Chair Ressler's observations.
0:14:56
Your observations at your poll site during early voting are not unique.
0:15:01
We have found in our time out in the field on election days that for whatever reason, voters and poll workers are in a much better mood, during early voting.
0:15:12
I I don't know if it's I I can't put a finger on exactly what it is.
0:15:16
I I think it's that they're picking a time of their own choosing, to go vote, and that they are making an investment in time at a moment when it's convenient to the voter.
0:15:28
And I think, that's that's a great thing.
0:15:32
We would also like to point out that not only and and for size reasons, you would say that New York should New York City should have the most number of early voting locations, but the fact of the matter is we do have the most number of early voting locations in the entire state.
0:15:47
But we also had the most number of voting hours.
0:15:51
We were trying to come up with some formulaic way of, of approaching how do you establish early voting hours in the early stages of it.
0:15:59
And for this election, for the presidential election, we tried, a different way.
0:16:05
And we said, okay, Monday to Friday we're gonna do 8 in the morning to 8 at night, very predictable, very, you know, square box around the hours.
0:16:13
And then for weekends, we did 8 in the morning to 5.
0:16:18
And that seemed to work out well.
0:16:20
But you absolutely hit the nail on the head, chair, when you say that advanced, voting during the early voting period certainly takes a lot of pressure off of, election day.
0:16:32
We tried, to to press during our, pre election, preparation and and notices to the, what should I say?
0:16:44
Public education, period to impress that absentee balloting and early mail balloting was also, an option.
