The 2026 NYS Primary voting has already started! Early voting continues now through Sunday, June 21. Primary election day is Tuesday, June 23, at the general election polling places, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. As a polling place employee back in 2021 (or 2022?), I know it’s going to be a slow day in some parts of the state.
I will admit that, when I don’t have enough information for a race, I rely on trusted sources. In previous elections, I have even used specific neighbors’ lawn signs as a gauge.
As an Albany Democrat, I only have two races to consider. (Other Albanians have hyperlocal additional choices.) Absent other reliable sources, I’ve opted to repost here the Facebook comments of Mark Mishler, whom I’ve only known for about four decades and who has the bona fides (see below) for me to look to his opinions. I’ve not always gone with his picks, but I’m doing so here.
Here Comes The Judge
Disenfranchisement
While this decision especially impacts minorities whose representatives in Congress are being “redistricted” out, it will have an enormous effect on the entire country. Will our votes count? Will our voices be heard?
Please join us to learn about how this decision affects YOU and US. We will meet from 10:45 AM to noon. A light brunch will be served. This is important, so spread the word.
* Mark Mishler has practiced civil rights (police misconduct, employment discrimination, and housing discrimination) and criminal defense law in the capital region since 1981. He has served on the Executive Board of the Albany NAACP, was Co-President of the Albany City-Wide PTA, and has served on the steering committees of the Capital District Coalition Against Apartheid and Racism, Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration, and Jewish Voice for Peace, Albany.
Mark developed and taught courses on the law of mass incarceration at Albany Law School and at the UAlbany School of Criminal Justice. Mark has also, since 2019, served as Counsel to NYS Senator Julia Salazar, who chairs the NYS Senate Committee on Crime Victims, Crime & Correction, and, in that capacity, has been involved in statewide criminal legal system reform and corrections policy, among other areas. He has written about the Supreme Court’s efforts to dismantle the Voting Rights Act.
