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Election Resources: Register to vote

This research guide was created to support NYITvotes initiative.

Register to vote

To register to vote if New York, you need: 

  • Age: At least 17 and turning 18 before Election Day
  • Formerly incarcerated individuals: Not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction (unless parolee pardoned or restored rights of citizenship)
  • Citizenship: Must be a U.S. citizen
  • Residence: Must be a resident of New York for at least 30 days before the election
  • Not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court
  • Not claim the right to vote elsewhere.
  • Check to see if you're registered.

  • For more information, please visit the official New York website.

 

Information about general election datelines. 

FOR GENERAL ELECTION
Date Deadline Information
October 27   Last day to apply online, by email, fax, or to postmark an application or letter of application by mail for an absentee ballot. (Please be warned that despite this deadline, the Post Office has advised they cannot guarantee timely delivery of ballots applied for less than 15 days before an election.)
November 2 Last day to apply IN-PERSON for an absentee ballot.
November 3 Last day to postmark ballot. Must be received by the local board of elections no later than Nov. 10th. Military Voter Ballots must be received no later than Nov. 16th.
November 3 Last day to deliver ballot IN-PERSON to the local board of elections or to any poll site.

 

To obtain registration forms: 

In-person

You can register in person at your county board of elections, at any New York State Agency-Based voter registration center, or at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Online Registration 

Use the online registration form to register to vote. You will need your NYS driver's license, permit, or non-driver ID card, and social security number.

Mail-in Registration 

Printable forms

 

Casting a ballot in New York state

Important Dates:

  • Primary Election: June 23, 2020
    • Early Voting Dates for Primary: June 13 – June 21, 2020
  • General Election: November 3, 2020
    • Early Voting Dates for General Election: October 24 – November 1, 2020

Absentee Voting

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Early Voting Period is October 24, 2020 - November 1, 2020

Qualifications to Vote by Absentee Ballot (Deadlines)

  1. Absent from your county or, if a resident of New York City absent from the five boroughs, on Election Day.
  2. Unable to appear at the polls due to temporary or permanent illness or disability (temporary illness includes being unable to appear due to the risk of contracting or spreading a communicable disease like COVID-19).
  3. Unable to appear because you are the primary caregiver of one or more individuals who are ill or physically disabled.
  4. A resident or patient of a Veterans Health Administration Hospital.
  5. Detained in jail awaiting Grand Jury action or confined in prison after conviction for an offense other than a felony.

How to Apply for an Absentee Ballot (Deadlines)

You may apply for an absentee ballot in any of the following ways:

Polling places and hours

  • Use the Polling Place Locator to find your polling place.
  • Primary Elections

    • In New York City and the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess and Erie, POLLS OPEN AT 6 AM - CLOSE AT 9 PM. In all other counties, POLLS OPEN AT 12 NOON and CLOSE AT 9 PM.

  • General Elections

    • Polls are open from 6 am - 9 pm.

Rides to the polls

Many organizations offer free rides to polling places. Some of these include:

  • Lyft provides free or discounted rides in some underserved communities
  • Political parties sometimes arrange rides for voters. Contact the local office:

Meeting Voter Access Needs

To facilitate voter accessibility, our poll workers are trained to:

  • Treat voters with dignity
  • Effectively communicate with voters
  • Interact with voters
  • Use positive language
  • Practice natural communication
  • Act appropriately around service animals
  • Offer assistance for all access needs

In addition to poll worker training, we also strive to serve all voters by creating accessible polling places.

The New York State Board of Elections has also made registering to vote accessible to all voters by offering multiple methods for completing a Voter Registration Form on our Voter Registration page.

If you are a voter with special needs, you may also apply for an accessible absentee ballot using the Accessible Absentee Ballot Application with Instructions(pdf 95.6KB).

License and Attribution

Creative Commons License

This guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. You are free to copy, transform, and redistribute this material in any medium or format without asking permission, but be sure to Share Alike!
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