Details for voting in Tuesday's primaries

Polls Tuesday will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Voters can cast their ballots at Long Island's more than 1,000 polling places.

Voters are only eligible to cast ballots in primaries involving the political party to which they belong. Voters seeking information about their polling places, candidates or other issues can call the Nassau Board of Elections at 516-571-2411 or the Suffolk Board of Elections at 631-852-4554.

Voters can also go online at nassauvotes.com or suffolkvotes.com to find their registration and polling place or to see a demonstration of the new voting machines.

- Rick Brand

The new voting machines

ALBANY -- A new era of voting begins Tuesday as New Yorkers cast paper ballots that will be read by computerized scanners.

The lever voting machines, in use on Long Island for nearly 100 years, have been replaced in order to comply with a 2002 federal law. It addresses problems seen in 2000 in the presidential election recount in Florida and eases balloting for the disabled.

Nassau and Suffolk counties are using different equipment but the process is nearly identical.

Voters go to their usual polling place, sign the registry book and receive a paper ballot and a privacy folder to hide their candidate selections. The ballot is laid out like those in the lever machines.

Voters mark ballots at high tables equipped with small partitions and a pen. They should be careful to fill in thoroughly the oval next to the candidate of their choice. They then insert the ballot into a nearby scanner and wait for a message on the monitor to indicate the votes have been recorded.

"This is a very big change and there will be hiccups and problems," said Bo Lipari of New Yorkers for Verified Voting. "But my expectation is this will generally be successful."

- James T. Madore

How to vote ...

1) Show up

Go to your polling place, give your name to the elections inspector, and sign the poll roster book.

2) Get your materials

You will be given a paper ballot (laid out like those in the old lever machines) and a folder or privacy sleeve for the ballot. In Suffolk, you also will receive an election district card (there is no card in Nassau) before entering the privacy booth.

3) Cast your vote

Using a pen provided in the booth, fill in the blank oval next to your candidate's name. Fill in the oval completely and do not make any stray marks. Do not use an "X" or a check mark.

4) Scan your vote

Place your ballot in the privacy sleeve. Do not fold it. Walk over to the scanning machine for your election district. Insert the privacy sleeve into the scanner, which will automatically pull your ballot from the sleeve. Your ballot will drop into a secure, locked box.

5) Confirm your vote

Wait for the monitor on the scanner to indicate your vote has been recorded. Give the privacy sleeve to the nearby poll inspector. If the monitor indicates your vote cannot be counted, ask the inspector for help because you may need to fill out a new ballot.