Riverhead voters get a jump on Election Day as early voting kicks off

Riverhead voters filed into Town Hall in a steady stream Saturday morning as early voting kicked off on the East End.

There was also a line outside the Southold Town Recreation Center at 970 Peconic Lane in Peconic, according to nearby resident Marina Kokkinos.

“We love to vote on the first day,” said Ms. Kokkinos, who was joined at the ballot box by her husband, George. “We don’t want to wait till the last minute.”

Mr. Kokkinos, who has Parkinson’s disease, found the new voting machines easier to use than filling in circles on a paper ballot.

“They were fine, easy to use,” his wife added.

Among the key Riverhead contests is the race between Supervisor Jerry Halpin and Republican Councilman Ken Rothwell. Mr. Halpin, an independent running on the Democratic line, unseated Republican incumbent Tim Hubbard by just 37 votes last November.

He is back on the ballot a year later because a state law moving most local elections to even-numbered years limited his current term to one year.

Mr. Rothwell, who won reelection to the Town Board last November, will retain his council seat if he loses the supervisor race.

Early voting continues through Sunday, Nov. 1, ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The polling sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, and Monday, Oct. 26, as well as Saturday, Oct. 31, and Sunday, Nov. 1.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, and Wednesday, Oct. 28, and from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, and Friday, Oct. 30.

For more on the candidates, mail-in ballots and Election Day voting, see the Riverhead News-Review’s election guide.