Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- There’s just less than a month to go before Election Day, but the deadline to register to vote is fast approaching. Friday is the last day to mail in or turn in voter registration forms. Saturday is the last chance in Onondaga County to do it in person at the Board of Elections.
The Board of Elections is busily preparing for the big day. They’re handling everything from registration to questions from people already eligible. They’re also busy now that absentee season has begun, including people stopping there to do it because they’ll, legitimately, be unable to vote on Election Day.
“We vote every time there is an election and it’s very important we get our vote in, especially this election,” said absentee voter Donna Lavonier.
Her husband Dave also voted Tuesday. He said, “The people are very helpful and it was very easy to do and we could come down here and take care of it, so we feel pretty good about it.”
The State’s new online registration – done through the DMV’s website -- hasn’t been as smooth. The problems are popping up mainly because of verification issues the Board of Elections is trying to iron out.
"We have to make sure your current signature, cause a lot of people have signatures that are 12 or 14 years old on file with the DMV, sometimes the name changes haven't come through, so we are sending out signature verification information to voters too, so it's not really online registration yet, maybe someday,” explained Onondaga County Elections Commissioner Helen Kiggins Walsh.
For everybody that is eligible to vote you'll notice some differences, like better privacy around the machines when you put your ballot in to be scanned.
"We just went through redistricting, so a lot of people's election districts have changed, which means their polling site has changed, so if they still have those yellow cards we sent out really check to make sure its at the same polling site,” Kiggins Walsh said.
Kiggins Walsh says it’s best not to wait until the last minute and cost yourself a chance to vote.
You can find out answers to many voting questions, like polling sites, on our county’s Board of Elections website. The Syracuse Crunch will have a voter registration drive at their fan fest Wednesday night at the War Memorial from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The Onondaga County Board of Elections will give people one last chance to register – in person – on Saturday from 2 to 9 p.m.
