Breaking down important political dates in New York state for summer 2022
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New York state will hold a series of elections for statewide and federal offices this summer, including gubernatorial primaries and congressional special elections.
Here’s a breakdown of important dates surrounding the elections, as well as other significant political events slated for the upcoming summer months:
May 17 – Record of decision on I-81 Viaduct Project
The Federal Highway Administration will issue an official record of decision on the Interstate 81 Viaduct Project, which will replace Syracuse’s I-81 viaduct with a community grid of surface-level streets, on May 17. The decision comes at the end of the 30-day review period that began April 17 following the release of the project’s Environmental Impact Statement.
June 7 – First Democratic gubernatorial debate
Gov. Kathy Hochul will debate New York State Democratic gubernatorial candidates Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Long Island) and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams on June 7. The debate will be the first Democratic debate of the 2022 gubernatorial election.
Hochul first agreed to debate Suozzi and Williams after they issued a joint letter to media outlets calling for debates prior to the primary election on June 28. CBS 2 New York will host the debate at 7 p.m.
June 10 – Congressional and state Senate filing deadline
The filing deadline for the congressional and state Senate elections – set to take place on Aug. 23 – is June 10. The U.S. Senate primary election is on June 28, and the filing deadline was April 7.
June 13 – Republican gubernatorial debate
CBS 2 New York will hold a primary debate for Republican gubernatorial candidates on June 13. Participating candidates include former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, Andrew Giuliani — the son of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani as well as a former staffer for the Trump administration — and Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Long Island). CBS 2 New York and WCBS Newsradio 880 will co-host the debate.
June 16 – Second Democratic gubernatorial debate
Hochul also agreed to a second primary debate on June 16, which NBC 4 New York/WNBC, Telemundo 47/WNJU and the Albany Times Union will host. Primary challengers Suozzi and Williams are also set to participate. The debate will take place at WNBC’s 30 Rockefeller Center studios in Manhattan.
Early voting begins two days after the second Democratic debate.
Megan Thompson | Digital Design Director
June 18 – Early voting starts
Early voting for the state and local primary election in New York state begins June 18 and ends June 26, two days before election day. Voters in Onondaga County are eligible to participate in early voting for their registered party’s primary election at any early voting site in the county, according to the Board of Elections website.
June 28 – Statewide primary elections
The New York statewide primary election will take place Tuesday, June 28, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and comptroller are up for election in the primary, and the winners will move on to the general election on Nov. 8.
Late July-early August – New York state’s special elections
Following U.S. Rep. Tom Reed’s (R-Southern Tier) resignation from Congress, Hochul must set a date for a special election to fill his seat. The state will also hold a separate special election to fill Rep. Antonio Delgado’s (D-Hudson Valley) seat in congress. Hochul recently tapped Delgado for the lieutenant governor position after former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin was arrested under federal bribery charges.
According to New York state law, Hochul is required to set election dates within 10 days of Delgado and Reed’s official resignations, as long as they submit them before July 1. The special elections also must occur within 70 days of Hochul’s proclamation.
Aug. 23 – Congressional and state Senate Primaries
New York state’s congressional and state Senate primary election will occur Tuesday, Aug. 23. The primaries were originally scheduled to be held in June, but the New York State Supreme Court ordered that they be postponed to August after it found that Democrats had gerrymandered the state’s redistricting maps in the party’s favor.
Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus), a Syracuse University alumnus and the current representative for New York’s 24th district, will not seek reelection in 2022. Christopher Jacobs (R-Western New York), the current U.S. representative for New York’s 27th district, is running against Democrat Steve Holden for Katko’s seat. E.F. Holden, a relative of Steve Holden, created Syracuse University’s Holden Observatory in the mid-1800s.
