ALBANY — “Temporary illness or physical disability” — that’s the box you check on the form to request an absentee ballot for the Democratic presidential primary due to coronavirus concerns.

All voters eligible to participate in the June 23 elections have been mailed an absentee ballot application with return paid postage. Due to the pandemic, the New York State Board of Elections encourages voters to vote by absentee ballot in the June 23 elections.

You still have to give one of the allowable reasons for requesting an absentee ballot. If your reason is concern about exposure to COVID-19, you should select the “temporary illness or physical disability” option, the Board of Elections says.

For the North Country, the Democratic presidential primary is the only election on this date. In Western New York there is also a special election to fill a vacancy in the state’s 27th Congressional District. There are also some state primaries.

Another way for voters to avoid crowds and assist in social distancing is to take advantage of nine days of early voting from June 13 to 21 ahead of Election Day.

Your completed absentee ballot application must be returned to your local county board of elections as soon as possible. You can find information about your county board of elections at www.elections.ny.gov/CountyBoards.html. The local board must receive the absentee ballot request postmarked no later than June 16 if the voter wants to receive their ballot by mail.

For the elections on June 23, voters may also email, fax or call their county board of elections to request an absentee ballot without the use of the application. They need to provide their name and address. After a request has been processed by the local board of elections, the voter will be sent the appropriate absentee ballot(s). The last day to return a ballot by mail is postmarked June 22, provided that it is received by the applicable county or city board of elections by June 30. If returned personally, it must be received by the board of elections before 9 p.m. on June 23.

Poll sites will be open everywhere from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on June 23.

If someone would like to work as a poll worker, complete a form at https://www.elections.ny.gov/BecomePollworker.html.

For more information on registering to vote in New York state, or for pandemic-related election updates, visit www.elections.ny.gov.