Polls are now open for Election Day; Here’s what you need to know

Evan Bourtis News10NBC

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Polls are now open for General Election Day. In Monroe County, Tuesday will be people’s last chance to vote on key contested races such as county executive, state supreme court, and family court.

On this year’s ballot, there are also races for county legislature, town supervisors, and races specific to the City of Rochester such as city council, city court judge, and commissioner of schools. These are also plenty of races in Ontario, Wayne, Genesee, and Livingston counties.

Polls will remain open until 9 p.m. Election Day comes after nine days of early voting, which drew just over 23,300 voters in Monroe County. You can find your polling location and view your ballot here. On the Monroe County Board of Elections website, you can also see a full list of candidates.

Download the News10NBC app for the latest election results or follow along here.

MONROE COUNTY

What are the county-wide races?

County executive race: Mark Assini (Republican and Conservative) is challenging incumbent County Executive Adam Bello (Democrat and Working Families). Bello, who was elected in 2019 and sworn in on Jan. 1, 2020, is running for his second term. His challenger, Assini, served as a county legislator for 10 years, Gates Town Supervisor for eight years, and spent the past few years in the private sector.

Both candidates spoke one-on-one with News10NBC. Bello spoke about his response during the pandemic, gun violence surge, and the opioid crisis. He also spoke about the asylum seekers staying in downtown Rochester. Assini spoke about his accomplishments as the Gates Town Supervisor and how he would address public safety, the opioid crisis, and high taxes as a county executive. The two candidates also faced off in an hour-long debate in October. You can see a recap of the debate here.

District attorney: District Attorney Sandra Doorley (Republican and Conservative) is running uncontested. For the first time in 30 years, the Democratic Party doesn’t have a candidate for District Attorney. Read more here.

State Supreme Court (pick two): This year’s candidates are Alex Renzi (Republican and Conservative), Margot Garant (Democrat), and Joe Waldorf (Republican and Conservative). Renzi is from Pittsford and Waldorf from Webster but Margot Garant lives in Long Island. Read about how a Long Island resident got on a local ballot here.

Family Court (pick two): This year’s candidates are Maria Cubillos-Reed (Democrat and Working Families), Maroun Ajaka (Democrat and Working Families), Kristine Demo-Vazquez (Republican and Conservative), and Dandrea Ruhlmann (Republican and Conservative).

Which races are specific to the City of Rochester?

Rochester City Court (pick two): Constance Patterson (Democrat), Jack Elliot (Democrat and Working Families), and Campbell Roth (Working Families).

Commissioner of Schools (pick four): Amy Maloy (Democrat and Working Families), Beatriz LeBron (Democrat and Working Families), Isaiah Santiago (Democrat and Working Families), Jacqueline D. Griffin (Democrat), and Ricardo Adams (Working Families).

Rochester City Council:

  • East District: Council Member Mary Lupien (Democrat and Working Families) is running unopposed.
  • Northeast District: Chiara “Kee-Kee” Smith (Working Families) is challenging Council Member Michael Patterson (Democrat and Working Families).
  • Northwest District: Bridget Monroe (Democrat) is running unopposed.
  • South District: Barbara Rivera (Working Families) is challenging Council Member LaShay Harris (Democrat).

Who are the candidates for county legislature in my district?

All 29 Monroe County Legislature seats are up but some seats are uncontested. In December of 2022, the legislature approved a new voting district map after months of debate. Supporters of the new map said it helps to create equality while electing county legislators by including six majority-Black districts. Here is the new district map:

Here are the candidates for county legislature:

  • First district: G Blake Keller (Republican and Conservative) is running unopposed.
  • Second district: Jackie Smith (Republican and Conservative) is running unopposed.
  • Third district: Marvin L Stepherson (Democrat) vs. Tracy A DiFlorio (Republican and Putting People First).
  • Fourth district: Virginia E McIntyre (Republican) vs. Rita Pettinaro (Conservative and Monroe County).
  • Fifth district: Terry H Daniele (Democrat) vs. Richard B Milne (Republican and Conservative).
  • Sixth district: Sean H McCabe (Republican and Conservative) is running unopposed.
  • Seventh district: Kirk Morris (Republican and Conservative) is running unopposed.
  • Eight district: Michael D DiTullio (Democrat and Working Families) vs. Mark C Johns (Republican and Conservative).
  • Ninth district: Mel Callan (Democrat) vs. Paul Dondorfer (Republican and Conservative).
  • 10th district: Howard S Maffucci (Democrat) vs. Nancy Lewis (Republican).
  • 11th district: John B Baynes (Democrat) is running unopposed.
  • 12th district: Steve Brew (Republican and Conservative) is running unopposed.
  • 13th district: Michael B Yudelson (Democrat and Working Families) vs. Ethan Greene (Republican and Conservative).
  • 14th district: Susan K Hughes-Smith (Democrat and Working Families) vs. Pat Reilly (Republican and Conservative).
  • 15th district: Francis M Ciardi (Republican and Conservative) is running unopposed.
  • 16th district: Dave Long (Democrat and Working Families) vs. Joe Carbone (Republican and Conservative).
  • 17th district: Rachel Barnhart (Democrat and Working Families) is running unopposed.
  • 18th district: Lystra E McCoy (Democrat) vs. Sean M Delehanty (Republican and Conservative).
  • 19th district: Tom Sinclair (Republican and Conservative) is running unopposed.
  • 20th district: Jaime J Erskine-Pettit (Democrat) vs. Robert J Colby (Republican and Conservative).
  • 21st district: Santos E Cruz (Democrat) vs. Oscar L Brewer Jr. (Working Families)
  • 22nd district: Mercedes V Simmons (Democrat and Working Families) is running unopposed.
  • 23rd district: Linda M Hasman (Democrat and Working Families) is running unopposed.
  • 24th district: Albert A Blankley (Democrat and Working Families) is running unopposed.
  • 25th district: Carolyn D Hoffman (Democrat and Working Families) is running unopposed.
  • 26th district: Yversha M Roman (Democrat and Working Families) is running unopposed.
  • 27th district: Rose E Bonnick (Democrat and Working Families) vs. David J Ferris (Republican and Conservative).
  • 28th district: Ricky G Frazier (Democrat and Working Families) is running unopposed.
  • 29th district: William T Burgess (Democrat and Working Families) is running unopposed.

What are the town races this season?

Some towns in Monroe County have races for town supervisor, town clerk, town council, and town justice. You can find out who’s on the ballot in your town with this full list of races and candidates from the Monroe County Board of Elections:

GE23-Candidates-List-20231005Download

OTHER COUNTIES

What races are there for Ontario, Wayne, Genesee, and Livingston counties?

You can find your polling location and learn who’s on your ballot at the website for your county’s board of elections. Here is the website for Ontario County, Wayne County, Genesee County, and Livingston County.

STATEWIDE

What are the propositions this year?

The two statewide propositions this year both deal with debt limits. Voting in favor of the first proposition would remove the special debt limit for small city school districts, defined by a city with less than 125,000 people. Voting in favor of the second proposition would remove the constitutional debt limits for constructing sewage facilities. You can read the full propositions here.