Elections

Voters approved Riverhead Free Library’s 2024-2025 budget yesterday and elected Mary Byrne McDonell, Mitchell Hagler and Susan Bergmann to the library's board of trustees.

The transition to even-numbered years for local elections will mean shorter terms for local officials elected in 2025 and 2027 and creates issues with Riverhead Town's term-limits code. Some officials worry local issues will be 'drowned out' in even-numbered years.

Anything we can do as a community to promote volunteer recruitment and retention is worth the effort and expense. The alternative to a volunteer fire department is exponentially more costly.

The upcoming school district election will fill four open seats on the Riverhead Board of Education: three positions that will be vacant at the end of the school year as a result of the expiration of terms of office and a fourth seat that became vacant when board member Laurie Downs resigned this week.

Election integrity matters — and it begins with the integrity of people seeking our votes. The election of George Santos is a debacle that should not have happened. Can it happen here? We take a hard look at what the local press must do to make sure it never does.

Early voting in the Nov. 8 general election will get underway in Suffolk County on Saturday and continue daily through Sunday Nov. 6. Here are the locations, dates and times.

Whatever excuse you’ve had in the past for not voting isn’t good enough in these times. Without participation by eligible voters, we won’t have representative government any more. It’s that simple.

The New York State Court of Appeals today struck down redistricting maps passed by the state legislature’s Democratic majority and signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul that would have given Democrats a strong chance to flip New York State’s first congressional district blue in this November’s election. 

Congressional and State legislative redistricting maps for New York State were signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul last night, solidifying election boundaries for November that could help Democrats flip districts across the state and on the East End.

A proposed redistricting map expected to be approved by the New York State Legislature as soon as today would separate Riverhead Town from the rest of the East End in the State Assembly and put Southold Town in the First Assembly District with the the South Fork and Shelter Island.