Polls open in New York City as early voting begins in primary election
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Early voting in the primary election is officially underway in New York City.
The race for New York City's next mayor heads to the polls Saturday - and voting will look different.
People have from now until June 20 to cast their votes early.
Voters will want to check ahead at their local polling place because the hours vary, but New Yorkers might want the extra time to think about their vote this year.
The City's Board Of Elections website now has a wait time map for early voting locations. Find one by typing in your address.
Polls will be open at various times through next weekend:
Early voting locations may differ from your polling place, so it is important to check before you go.
The new tabulated ranked-choice voting is complicated -- meaning it could be July before we actually know who won the race for the Democratic nomination.
ALSO READ | NYC elections: What is ranked-choice voting?
Early voting was a popular option before last November's election, and it is back now ahead of Primary Day on June 22.
New Yorkers will not only be choosing for their choice as mayor in the Democratic and Republican parties, but also their choice for city controller and the public advocate.
The debut of ranked choice voting begins as well.
If a candidate gets straight 50% of the votes or more, they win outright, but if not, the votes will be redistributed.
City officials say voters should vote one to five, although it's not absolutely mandatory if residents vote for more than one candidate.
Mayor Bill de Blasio urges voters not to leave anything blank.
He says New Yorkers should "do the work" and "do the thinking" to select five choices because it helps maximize the impact of the ballot.
The goal is to avoid a runoff election if a candidate doesn't get above 50% of the votes.
It is a crowded field on the Democratic side with 13 candidates.
Kathryn Garcia and Shaun Donovan will be voting in Brooklyn later this morning.
WATCH | Ranked Choice Voting Webchat
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
