There were long lines at several polling places around Monroe County on Saturday, the first day of early voting.
October 26 marked both the first day of early voting in New York state and it also was the last day to register for the November 5 election.
To help bring attention to those dates, several organizations including faith, labor and community groups, hosted a ROC the Vote event at Parcel 5 on E. Main St. in Rochester on Saturday.
Organizers billed the event as being nonpartisan, and it also included on-site voter registration and offered transportation to an early voting poll located downtown at the Monroe County Office Building.
A statement from the organizations who hosted Saturday’s event said that national polls consistently show the significance of healthcare costs to voters, and note that elected officials have significant influence on some health care issues.
Barbara Grosh is President of the League of Women Voters, of the Rochester metro area. She said the League's emphasis is getting people to the polls.
"We're trying to reach people who don't vote, and a lot of that is poor people that live in the city," Grosh said." Grosh also expressed the hope that young people will turn out to vote and also share their experiences on social media, to encourage others to get to the polls.
Kiesha Ivey, President of the NAACP, Rochester Branch reiterated that organization's longstanding commitment to equality and the right to vote.
"We are a branch off the civil rights movement, and our branch is for the people," Ivey said. "We're here for the community, Black and brown people, to make sure we represent it and every angle of our government."
Early voting runs through Sunday, November 3.
NOTE: The Monroe County Board of Elections recently sent out postcards for registered voters with information about the ‘regular’ November 5 election day polling site you should go to.
Elections officials want to clarify that early voting locations and times are available by pulling up the QR code on that postcard, or visiting the county’s elections website:
www.monroecounty.gov/election-earlyvoting
You can also call the Board of Elections: 585-753-1550
OR, you can also check out the list of Early Voting sites below:
Here’s a list of early voting locations in Monroe County. Eligible voters may go to any of these 17 early voting locations.
- Bay Towne Plaza Shopping Center Suite 160 - 1900 Empire Blvd, Webster NY 14580
- Culver Ridge Plaza Unit #13 – 2255 East Ridge Road Irondequoit, NY 14622
- David F. Gantt Recreation Center - 700 North St, Rochester, NY 14605
- Edgerton Recreation Center - 41 Backus St, Rochester, NY 14608
- Empire State University (in-person ASL Interpreter) - 680 Westfall Rd, Rochester, NY 14620
- Greece Town Hall Atrium - 1 Vince Tofany Blvd, Rochester, NY 14612
- Henrietta Public Library (in-person ASL Interpreter) - 625 Calkins Rd, Rochester, NY 14623
- Monroe County Office Building - 39 W. Main St, Rochester, NY 14612
- North Greece Road Church of Christ - 1039 N. Greece Rd, Rochester, NY 14626
- Perinton Square Mall - 6720 Pittsford Palmyra Rd, Fairport, NY 14450
- Pittsford Town Court - 3750 Monroe Ave Suite 950, Pittsford, NY 14534
- Resurrection Lutheran Church - 3736 Saint Paul Blvd, Rochester, NY 14617
- St. Theodores Catholic Church - 168 Spencerport Rd, Rochester, NY 14606
- Staybridge Suites Rochester University - 1000 Genesee St, Rochester, NY 14611
- Susan B Anthony House - 17 Madison St, Rochester, NY 14608
- Sweden/Clarkson Community Center - 4927 Lake Rd, Brockport, NY 14420
- Webster Justice Court Building - 1002 Ridge Rd, Webster, NY 14580
Early voting hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: 9 am – 5 pm/ Tuesday & Thursday: 12 – 8 pm
For more information about early voting and other details about voting in Monroe County: https://www.monroecounty.gov/elections
You can also check out the election guide on our website.
