ALBANY COUNTY — Small-party voters in Guilderland, New Scotland, and Rensselaerville won’t be using voting machines during the primary on Sept. 18.

A separate paper ballot will be used in the 104th Assembly District because of a long list of delegates and alternate delegates to the 3rd Judicial District, according to the Albany County Board of Elections. All the names simply wouldn’t fit in the old lever-style machines still being used in the county.

Deputy Democratic Commissioner Kathleen A. Carey, of the county’s board of elections, said that the paper ballots will only be used by Conservative and Independence voters. The primaries for Democrats, Republicans, and other small-party members will be listed on lever machines and all voters can report to their usual polling location, Carey said.
"Because of the delegates and alternate delegates for the 3rd Judicial District, there were not enough rows on the machines," said Carey. "The candidates have to be listed vertically"so some will be on paper ballots."

The delegates elected for a judicial district nominate judges to the Supreme Court for that district. The state’s Supreme Court is the lowest level of New York’s three-tiered system. The 3rd Judicial District covers Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster counties.

All Guilderland Conservatives will vote on a paper ballot during this year’s primary as well as Independence voters living in the 32nd Legislative District, in Westmere.

In the town of New Scotland, registered Conservative and Independence party members will be voting on paper ballots, and in Rensselaerville, Conservative voters will also be given a paper ballot.

The paper ballots will be put into locked boxes and sent to the board of elections’ office on Russell Road in Albany. The paper ballots for the small parties are filled out by circling a candidate’s name in each column for each office.

Voters can also write in the candidate of their choice in the blank box of the paper ballot.
"The voter will fill them out and put them in locked boxes and they are brought in and counted," Carey said. "We did it once with the Green Party"but it’s been a while."

Voters using absentee ballots will fill in small ovals with a black pen for the candidate of their choice, much like a standardized test used in many schools; the marks will then be scanned by a machine.

Questions about the ballots or the Sept. 18 primary can be answered by the Albany County Board of Elections at 487-5060 or at boardofelections@albany county.com.