Primary voters may tip state Senate race

I think it means more of a turnout and more people coming to the polls, and you’ll have more Democrats and Republicans both coming out who want to be heard in the presidential primary.’”

Joe mondello County GOP chairman

There is no question that this is the first time I can remember that the Democratic nomination is still in play.’”

jay jacobs County Democratic chairman

Who can vote

The presidential primary may cause some confusion at the polls on April 19, party leaders and an official with the Nassau County League of Women Voters said, especially since residents voting in the 9th Senate District can vote twice that day — registered Democrats or Republicans can vote in the presidential primary, and all registered voters in the district can cast their vote for the candidate of their choice in the special election for the Senate.

“I think there is going to be some confusion,” said Nancy Rosenthal, president of the Southwest Nassau and Nassau County League of Women Voters, who added that the league is working to eliminate any confusion — and encouraging residents to vote in both races. “The presidential primary is a closed primary, meaning you could only vote for the candidates for the party with which you’re registered. But S.D. 9 is an open special election, so if I were registered in the Democratic or Republican Party but did not want to vote for a presidential candidate, I can vote for … whatever other party is running.”

David Gugerty, the Democratic commissioner of the county’s Board of Elections, said that he and his Republican counterpart, Louis Savinetti, have been working to minimize any potential confusion for voters who turn out at the 101 polling sites throughout the district.

Gugerty added that New York state does not allow same-day registration; to vote in the presidential primary, residents must already be registered Democrats or Republicans, and new voters must have registered by March 25, while those looking to switch parties must have done so prior to the 2015 general election.

The league said, absentee ballots must be requested by mail no later than April 12, and in person no later than April 18. Completed ballots must be returned by mail no later than April 18, and in person no later than April 19.

9th S.D. voter registration

Democrat: 94,391

Republican: 75,500

Blanks: 49,287

Independence: 8,353

Conservative: 2,342

Working Families: 547

Green: 390

*Source: Nassau County Board of

Elections, as of March 28

All eyes will be on New York on April 19, when voters head to the polls in the first significant presidential primary in the state in nearly 30 years.

“There is no question that this is the first time I can remember that the Democratic nomination is still in play,” said Nassau County Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs. “I don’t remember a case where both parties were competing so vigorously in the primary on the same day in New York.”

Even in relatively high-turnout years such as 2008 — and so far, 2016 — primaries attract far fewer voters than general elections, according to the Pew Research Center, but this year’s primary will coincide with the most important state election this year, one that could tip the balance of power in the State Senate: the special election for former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos’s 9th District seat, which he vacated when he was convicted of felony corruption charges in December.

Because voters will be offered two separate ballots, local party officials said that the presidential primary could potentially sway the outcome of the Senate race among State Assemblyman Todd Kaminksy (D-Long Beach), Republican Chris McGrath and Green Party candidate Laurence “Seth” Hirsh.

“The challenge for [McGrath and Kaminsky] is getting their message out in a short period of time and at a time when there is a presidential campaign that is not only eating up all the oxygen, but turning off a lot of people with all the negativity,” said Jim Moriarty, chairman of the Long Beach Republican Committee, who is supporting McGrath. “And that certainly poses a challenge for both candidates.”

Some party leaders have said that voter turnout for the primary is expected to be strong as well, with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont vying for the Democratic nomination in Clinton’s adopted state. Meanwhile, Republican Donald Trump is favored over Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Trump’s home turf.