ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – A special election to fill a state Assembly seat in Manhattan has been rescheduled to June 5 from May 22 after Governor Spitzer, Democrat of New York, who is Jewish, learned that some polling places would be closing early on the initial date because of a Jewish holiday.

The seat was left vacant after Democrat Pete Grannis resigned to become state environmental conservation commissioner.

“The change was made after it was learned that certain polling places in the district would close early in observance of a Jewish holiday that begins at sundown on May 22,” Mr. Spitzer said in a statement issued Wednesday.

Sundown on May 22 marks the beginning this year of Shavuot, a holiday celebrating the delivery of the Ten Commandments to Moses. The May 22 date for the special election had been announced by Spitzer on Tuesday.

Mr. Spitzer’s nomination of Mr. Grannis for the $136,000-a-year job was confirmed by the Republican-led state Senate on March 31. Mr. Grannis had been a member of the Assembly since 1974, representing the 65th Assembly District that has more than 50,000 enrolled Democrats and fewer than 20,000 Republicans.

Democrats already hold 106 of the Assembly’s 150 seats. There are currently two vacancies in the chamber. A special election is being held May 1 to fill the Rockland County seat held by the late Democrat Kenneth Zebrowski. He died on March 18.