Early voting underway in Democratic primary elections

Political party primary elections will take place on June 23, but in-person early voting has already begun. The 10-day early voting period allows voters to cast their ballots in-person ballots in advance of the June 23 election.

Voters in Suffolk can cast early ballots until Sunday, June 21 at one of the county’s 12 early voting sites.

Riverhead residents can cast their ballots at the Riverhead Town Senior Center at 60 Shadetree Lane in Aquebogue. The polls will be open on Wednesday and Thursday, June 17 and 18, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m; on Friday, June 19 from 12 to 8 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday, June 20 and 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A list of other early voting sites in Suffolk can be found on the Suffolk County Board of Elections website. 

Social distancing requirements will be enforced at the polls, so six feet of distance must be maintained and masks or face coverings will be required.

The ballot in Riverhead Town includes Democratic candidates for seats in Congress, the State Senate and State Assembly.

Republican nominees for these positions have already been chosen — incumbent Lee Zeldin for Congress, Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo for First Senate District and Councilwoman Jodi Giglio for Second Assembly District.

Congressional Democratic Candidates 

Greg Fischer of Calverton is a business consultant with a background in computer programming and software development. He has undergraduate degrees from CUNY/Manhattan Community College and SUNY/New Paltz and an MBA from SUNY/Albany. He is the father of four children.

Bridget Fleming of Southampton is an attorney and served on the Southampton Town Board from 2010 to 2015. In 2015, she was elected to the Suffolk County Legislature for the Second Legislative District. She has also worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan. Fleming is a graduate of Hunter College and received her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. She has a husband and teenage son.

Perry Gershon of East Hampton worked as a lender in commercial real estate for 25 years. He mounted his first challenge to Zeldin’s seat in 2018. Gershon received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and his M.B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. He has a wife and two sons, who are both in college. 

Nancy Goroff of Stony Brook has worked as a chemist at Stony Brook University for 23 years. She served as the chair of the Chemistry department, associate provost and interim dean of the graduate school. She took a leave of absence to run for Congress. Goroff graduated from Harvard University in 1990 and earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles. She has two daughters. 

New York State Senate Democratic Candidates for First Senate District

Laura Ahearn of Port Jefferson is an attorney and social worker. She is the founder and executive director for The Crime Victims Center and serves as the chair of the Legal Systems Subcommitee of the Suffolk County Task Force to Prevent Family Violence. She also served as the victims services representative of the Suffolk County Hate Crimes Task Force. She mainatains a part-time law practice. She received a masters of social work from Stony Brook University and her law degree from Touro Law. She has two grown children. 

Valerie Catright of Brookhaven is an attorney who is currently serving her fourth term on the Brookhaven Town Council, District One. She also works as an adjunct instructor at Saint Joseph’s College in Patchogue. She earned her undergraduate degree from West Virginia University and her law degree from Touro College. She has a husband and a young daughter. 

Nora Higgins of Ridge worked as a nurse at Stony Brook University in specialities including neonatal intensive care unity and oncology. She is on the the legislative committee at Stony Brook Hospital and is the Long Island chairwoman of the political action committee for the Public Employees Federation. Higgins graduated from SUNY Alfred. She has a husband and four children. 

Skyler Johnson of Mount Sinai is a college student at Suffolk County Community College. He served as the campaign manager for Sarah Deonarine’s bid for Brookhaven Town Council. He also works as a community organizer.

Thomas “Tommy” John Schiavoni of North Hampton is a retired teacher. He currently serves on the Southampton Town Board and was elected in 2017 and previously served on the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals. He taught at the Center Moriches School District for 32 years and worked at the three-generation family plumbing and heating business in Sag Harbor. He served as vice president of the Sag Harbor School Board. He earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary social studies from SUNY Cortland and a master’s degree from Stony Brook University. He has a wife and two children. 

New York State Second Assembly Democratic Candidates

Will Schleisner of Sound Beach is a senior operations live event coordinator at ViacomCBS. He worked as treasurer for Deonarine’s campaign for Brookhaven town council and is a democratic committee member. He earned a bachelor’s in management from Adelphi University. 

Laura Jens-Smith of Laurel is a registered nurse. She served as Riverhead Town Supervisor for two years and on the Mattituck-Cutchogue School Board for six years — two years as president. She was a program coordinator for the North Fork Alliance Coalition. She received her associate degree from Phillips Beth Israel School of Nursing and her bachelor’s degree from Pace University. She has a husband and two grown children.