Voters in the 20th Congressional District will choose a new U.S. representative today as Republican James Tedisco and Democrat Scott Murphy vie to succeed former Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand.
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Voters who want to know whether they are in this district may look up their status on the state Board of Elections website at www.elections.state.ny.us.
The sprawling district includes all or part of 10 counties, including the Otsego County towns of Roseboom, Decatur, Worcester, Maryland, Westford, Milford, Middlefield and the eastern portion of Cherry Valley. It also incorporates all of Delaware County except the towns of Deposit, Hancock and Tompkins.
Gov. David Paterson appointed Gillibrand to the U.S. Senate in January, creating the vacancy and setting up a special election.
A Siena Research Institute poll released Friday shows Murphy, 39, a businessman from Glens Falls, with a slim lead over Tedisco, 58, the state's Assembly minority leader. Voters polled favored Murphy over Tedisco, 47 percent to 43 percent.
Tedisco's campaign issued a statement the same day that its own internal polling shows him slightly ahead.
A third candidate, Libertarian Eric Sundwall, was removed from the ballot Wednesday after the state Board of Elections found he had fallen short of the required 3,500 signatures on his nominating petition.
In recent days, the two remaining candidates have been touring the district, gearing up for large get-out-the-vote efforts today.
Political experts, including Steven Greenberg, spokesman for the Siena Poll, have said that such plans are crucial in a special election, when turnout is typically lower than in general elections.
The 20th Congressional District is home to 432,771 active voters, including 180,810 Republicans, 113,354 Democrats, 20,020 members of the Independence Party, 8,425 Conservatives, 1,504 members of the Working Families Party, 1,483 Greens, 114 Libertarians and 105,059 unaffiliated voters, according the state Board of Elections.
The sprawling district includes all or part of 10 counties, including the Otsego County towns of Roseboom, Decatur, Worcester, Maryland, Westford, Milford, Middlefield and the eastern portion of Cherry Valley. It also incorporates all of Delaware County except the towns of Deposit, Hancock and Tompkins.
Murphy will be on the Democratic, Independence and Working Families lines. Tedisco will be on the Republican and Conservative lines.
The district traditionally sends a Republican to Washington. However, Gillibrand, a Democrat, won twice, beating incumbent Republican John Sweeney in 2006 and former state GOP Chairman Sandy Treadwell last November.
If the results from today's election are close, a winner may not be declared for up to two weeks because military and overseas votes will be counted until April 13.
The six-day extension for counting military ballots came after the U.S. Justice Department sued Gov. David Paterson and the state Board of Elections to extend the deadline.
Polling places for today's special 20th Congressional District election are listed below for the area towns in that district.
{"headline14"/}Otsego County
Cherry Valley _ District 2, Community Center, 2 Genesee St., Cherry Valley.
Decatur _ District 1, Town Barn, 104 Co. Hwy. 37, Worcester.
Maryland _ Districts 1, 2, & 3, Firehouse, 40 Main St., Schenevus.
Middlefield _ Districts 1 & 2, Clark Sports Center, 124 Co. Hwy. 52, Cooperstown.
Milford _ Districts 1, 2, & 3, Town Hall, 2859 St. Hwy. 28, Portlandville.
Roseboom _ District 1, Town Barn, 126 County Highway 50, Cherry Valley.
Westford _ District 1, Town Hall, 1812 Co. Hwy. 34, Westford.
Worcester _ Districts 1&3, Town Bldg., 29 Katie La., Worcester; District 2, East Worcester Fire House, 70 Main St., E. Worcester; District 4, Firehouse, 36 Church St., Worcester.
{"headline14"/}Delaware County
Andes _ District 1, Town Hall, 580 Main St.,Andes; District 2, Rod and Gun Club, 521 Co. Hwy. 1.
Bovina _ District 1, Community Hall, Main Street, Bovina Center.
Colchester _ District 1, Town Hall, 72 Tannery Rd., Downsville; District 2, Fire Hall, Co. Hwy. 7, Cooks Falls; District 3, Fire Hall, 15166 St. Hwy. 30, Downsville; District 4, Community Hall, 327 Corbett Rd.
Davenport _ District 1, Fire Hall, 15838 St. Hwy. 23, Davenport; District 2, Historical Society, Town Hall, Davenport Center.
Delhi _ Districts 1, 2, 3 & 4, Town Hall, 5 Elm St., Delhi.
Franklin _ Districts 1 &3, 12480 Co. Hwy. 21, Franklin; District 2, A.L. Kellogg School, 138 Church Street, Treadwell.
Hamden _ District 1, Town Hall, 20 Covert Hollow, Hamden.
Harpersfield _ District 1, Town Hall, 25399 St. Hwy. 23, Harpersfield.
Kortright _ District 1, Fire Satellite Station, Stone House Rd. and Co. Rte. 12; District 2, Fire Hall, 243 Scotch Hill Rd., Bloomville.
Masonville _ District 1, Town Hall, 1890 State Hwy, 206, Masonville.
Meredith _ District 1, Town Hall, 4247 Turnpike Rd. & Meredith Square; District 2, Hanford Mills Museum, Co. Rte 12, East Meredith.
Middletown _ District 1, Fire Hall, 1298 Main St., Fleischmanns; District 2, Fire Hall, Church St., 77 Church St., Margaretville; District 3, Fire Hall, 374 Halcottsville Rd.; District 4, Old Stone School House, St. Hwy. 28, Dunraven; District 5, Fire Hall, 43365 St. Hwy. 28, Arkville; District 6, Purcell Parish Center, 61 Academy St., Margaretville; District 7, Fire Hall, 77 Church St., Margaretville.
Roxbury _ District 1, Civic Center, 60933 St. Hwy. 30, Grand Gorge; District 2, Community Hall, 21 Vega Mtn. Rd., Vega; Districts 3 and 4, 53613 St. Hwy. 30, Main St., Roxbury.
Sidney _ District 1, Firemen's Building, Main Street, Sidney Center; Districts 2, 4, 5, 6,& 7, Firemen's Training Center, 72 River St., Sidney; District 3, Fellowship Baptist Church, 1050 Covered Bridge Road, Unadilla.
Stamford _ District 1, Town Hall, 101 Maple Ave., Hobart; District 2, Fire Hall, 111 Main St., Stamford; District 3, S.K. Community Church, Main Street, South Kortright.
Walton _ Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5, School Bus Garage, Delaware Street, Walton.
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