Thousands Of Absentee Ballots Requested, Must Be Postmarked Today

Absentee ballots played a role in changing the outcome of one race in Clarkstown in September’s primary.  And their popularity appears to be on the rise. More than 5,100 absentee ballots for tomorrow’s General Election have been issued for Rockland County voters with more than half sent to Clarkstown and Orangetown voters.

Rockland County Democratic Elections Commissioner Kristen Stavisky said countywide 5,130 absentee ballots had been requested and as of Monday afternoon 2,559 returned. The number requested is several times larger than the 2009 county executive election, when there were 1,481 absentee ballots received countywide.

Stavisky said 1,981 of the absentee ballots had been issued in Clarkstown and as of Monday morning, 876 had been received. In 2009 Clarkstown voters turned in a total of 511 absentee ballots. 

In Orangetown, 660 voters requested absentee ballots and 330 of them had been returned as of Monday morning.

Stavisky said ballots must be postmarked by today, November 4, and received by the Board of Elections by Tuesday, Nov. 12 in order to be counted. Additionally, the voter’s authorized agent can return the absentee ballot by 9 p.m. on Tuesday to the Board of Elections in New City or an inspector at a polling location. 

In the primary campaign for Clarkstown highway superintendent, the Democratic and Republican candidates both sought the Working Families Party line for the General Election. While Democrat Dennis Malone won the majority of voters who went to the polls on September 10th, he wound up losing the line to Republican Wayne Ballard who secured it through absentee ballot votes.