2024 General Election: Important Return Dates
In New York, completed mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, November 5th. You can also return your ballot in person by bringing it to a polling site or your County Board of Elections Office by 9:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Any registered New York voter may apply for an early mail ballot. You can apply online, in person at your local election office, or by designating another person to deliver your application to your local election office for you.
Early mail ballot applications are due 10 days before the election if you’d like a ballot mailed, or the day before Election Day if you plan to receive your ballot in person. Early mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day or submitted in person by 9pm on Election Day to your County Board of Elections Office or polling site.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE BY MAIL?
In New York, any registered voter may apply for an early mail ballot.
HOW DO I REQUEST A BALLOT BY MAIL?
You can apply for an early mail ballot by:
You can download a PDF version of the New York State Early Mail Ballot Application Form on the state’s website.
DO I HAVE TO REQUEST AN EARLY MAIL BALLOT EACH YEAR?
Yes, you must apply each calendar year to receive an early mail ballot.
If you are permanently ill or disabled, you have the right to receive an Absentee Ballot for each subsequent election without further application. Simply file an application with your county board of elections indicating permanent illness or physical disability. See below for more information on Absentee Ballots.
WHAT IS THE DEADLINE TO REQUEST AN EARLY MAIL BALLOT?
Your early mail ballot application must be received by your county board of elections no later than 10 days before the election. If you want to receive an early mail ballot in person, your application must be received by the day before the election.
WHAT IS THE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT MY EARLY MAIL BALLOT?
Your early mail ballot must be postmarked by Election Day or received in-person by 9pm on Election Day.
HOW DO I COMPLETE MY EARLY MAIL BALLOT?
Once you receive your early mail ballot, follow these steps:
HOW CAN I RETURN MY EARLY MAIL BALLOT?
You can return your marked early mail ballot the following ways:
Mail Time Consideration
When mailing your completed ballot, the USPS recommends that voters allow enough time for ballots to be returned to the Board, which is generally 7 days ahead of the general election. Voters who mail in their ballots on Election Day must be aware of the posted collection times on collection boxes and at the Postal Service’s retail facilities, and that ballots entered after the last posted collection time will not be postmarked until the following business day.
HOW CAN I TRACK MY MAILED BALLOT?
You can sign up to track your mail ballot using your state's resource. If you have any issues with your state’s online tracker, please contact your local election office.
WHAT IF I REQUESTED A BALLOT BY MAIL BUT WANT TO VOTE IN PERSON?
Due to a recent change in law, New York State voters are no longer permitted to cast a ballot on a voting machine if they have already been issued an early mail, accessible, or absentee ballot for that election. Voters who have already been issued a ballot can still vote in person using an affidavit ballot.
HOW DO I REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT?
Excused-absentee voting is available if you meet any of the criteria below. The last day to request an absentee ballot is 10 days before an Election if requested by letter, fax, or online and one day before an election if requested in person. To be counted, an absentee ballot must be postmarked by Election Day and must reach the board of elections no more than seven days after the election. You can track your absentee ballot here.
You are eligible for an excused-absentee ballot if:
You may apply for an absentee ballot in any of the following ways:
If you cannot pick up your ballot, you have the right to designate someone to pick it up for you. Only that person designated on your application may pick up your ballot.
If you are permanently ill or disabled, you have the right to receive an Absentee Ballot for each subsequent election without further application. Simply file an application with your county board of elections indicating permanent illness or physical disability. You will then automatically receive an absentee ballot for every election until your registration is canceled.
Voters are no longer permitted to cast a ballot on a voting machine if they have been issued an early mail or absentee ballot for that election. Voters who have already been issued an early mail or absentee ballot can still vote in person using an affidavit ballot.
HOW DO I REQUEST A BALLOT BY MAIL AS AN OVERSEAS OR U.S. MILITARY VOTER?
Overseas citizens and U.S. military personnel can find information on how to register to vote and request a mail ballot at the Overseas Vote Foundation.
Request your BallotThe deadline to cure (correct) your absentee/mail ballot is November 12, 2024, or seven business days after the notification of a rejected ballot is mailed, whichever is later. If an error is found with your ballot, an election official will notify you of the issue by mail, phone, or email. The notice will include the necessary information and instructions to make the correction. You can track the status of your ballot using your state’s online tool.
If you voted an affidavit ballot, the Board of Elections will check its records, and your vote will be counted if you are indeed eligible to vote and are at the correct poll site. If not, you will receive a notice that you are not eligible, along with a registration application for future elections.
For information on federal campaign contributions, please visit Open Secrets.
For information on state campaign contributions, please visit your state's resource.
Information on local, state and federal candidates and ballot measures may be available here.
Voted absentee ballots can be returned at any polling place, early voting location, or County Board of Elections office without a wait. Click here for more information.
Early voting begins 10 days before the election and continues through two days before the election (there is no in-person voting the day before Election Day). Many counties have multiple voting sites available. Each voting site has different hours, so check here to determine the best voting site for you.
In NYC, voters must go to the early voting poll site based on their address. Find the early voting poll site for NYC voters here.
Early Mail Ballot
Any registered voter in New York can apply for an early mail ballot without having to provide a reason. The application for an early mail ballot must be received at least 15 days prior to the election. If you wish to vote by mail before the election day, you may apply for an early mail ballot using any of the following methods:
You may return the ballot in any of the following ways:
The next election date can be found here https://www.vote411.org/new-york.
Contact your local Board of Elections for more information.
To be eligible to vote, you must be:
Incarcerated Voters & Returning Citizens:
In New York, you only lose your right to vote if you are currently incarcerated for a felony conviction. If you lost your voting rights because of a conviction, you could register to vote immediately after release. Pretrial detention, misdemeanors, probation, or parole do not restrict your voting rights.
Voters without traditional residence:
In New York, citizens don't need to have a "permanent home" for voter registration. A citizen can provide an alternative description of their residence, even if they are experiencing homelessness, as long as it enables the authorities to identify and assign a voting precinct. This precinct assignment ensures that the voter receives the appropriate ballot. The mailing address on their registration form can be a PO box, local shelter, advocacy organization, outreach center, or the home of someone who will accept mail for them.
To register to vote you must have either a verifiable state driver's license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you do not have either of these, and you are registering for the first time by mail, you may provide a copy of another acceptable form of ID.
Acceptable forms of ID include:
If you do not provide identification with this form, you will be asked for it the first time you vote. Forms of current and valid photo identification include but are not limited to:
If you are a new voter who is registering by mail, you will be required to show identification when you go to vote for the first time. If you are already registered at the board of elections or a state agency, you should not have to show identification at the polls. It is advisable for all new voters to bring identification when voting for the first time.
Acceptable IDs to to vote are:
Voters can call or text 844-338-8743 at any time to reach VoteRiders Voter ID Helpline
Official results are never available on Election Day. Election officials are working around the clock to count an unprecedented number of ballots, and it’s essential that they take the time to make sure every vote is counted.
As always, unofficial results (including early voting and election day voting) will be posted on your county’s Board of Elections website following the close of polls on Election Day. Early votes and election day votes will be counted on Election Day.
Official ResultsYou are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.
If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.
You can ensure we have safe, fair, and efficient elections. Become a poll worker today!
To be a poll worker in New York:
Note: Interpreters do not need to be registered voters.
To sign up visit your state's resource or contact your local board of elections.
Polling places will be open from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm.
You can find your polling place by utilizing your state resource.
If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your local board of elections.
New York is a “closed primary” state. In order to vote in the primary election, voters must be registered with a political party. Unaffiliated or independent voters are not able to participate in the primary.
If you have any questions about your state’s primary election, please contact your local election officials.
Provisional voting is available and ballots are counted no more than 4 days after the Election.
Provisional voting is available if the ballot was cast in the correct precinct.
Most polling places are now accessible to the handicapped. If yours is not, you may ask to have your records transferred to a nearby accessible polling place where the ballot will be the same as in your election district. You may also vote by absentee ballot. If you have a long-term or permanent illness or disability, you can apply for a permanent absentee ballot and you will automatically receive one before each primary and general election. For additional information, please visit your state's Board of Election.
For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource.
Beginning in 2021, New York City will use a new Ranked Choice Voting system for the Primary and Special Elections. Voters will vote for up to 5 candidates in order of preference (1st choice, 2nd choice, etc.). If you would like to just vote for 1 candidate you may still do so, but each candidate may only have one ranking. For more information please contact the New York City Board of Elections.
The deadline to submit your voter registration form is 10 days before the next election.
You may register to vote:
If you are registering by mail, your forms must be postmarked by 15 days before the election and received 10 days before the election.
HOW CAN I CHECK MY REGISTRATION STATUS?
You can verify your voter registration status using New York’s voter information tool.
HOW DO I UPDATE MY REGISTRATION IF I MOVE OR HAVE A NAME CHANGE?
You can use either the online registration portal or a voter registration form to update your name or address. County boards of elections must process and record notices of address changes from registered voters at least 15 days before a special, primary, or general election to ensure they are reflected in the election records for that election.
Employees are allowed to take off up to two hours of work, without loss of pay, to allow for time to vote. You may take the time off at the beginning or end of your working shift, as your employer may designate, or as otherwise mutually agreed.
You must tell your employed no less than two days before Election Day that you plan to take time off to vote.
To verify your voter registration status
click here!The voting machine systems used in New York are Imagecast, ES&S DS200, ES&S Automark, Shoup Lever Machine and AVM Lever Machine.
Imagecast: the most accessible machine - audio and tactile interfaces, voters can listen to the options over headphones or view an LCD screen with an image of the ballot that can be adjusted for size and contrast. A "Sip-N-Puff" is also available for those voters with limited hand dexterity.
ES&S DS200: a portable electronic voting system that uses an optical scanner to read marked paper ballots and tally the results. These results are tabulated at the polling place and notifications are sent out immediately of any voting errors.
ES&S Automark: a voting machine designed for those that are blind, vision impaired, or another visual disability that would make it hard or impossible for them to make a ballot. Furthermore, the machine provides language assistance to those who speak English as a secondary language or for those who have reading difficulties. This machine is also equipped with the "Sip-N-Puff" voting device.
You can learn more about voting systems by checking out the voting machine summary of the New York State Board of Elections.
Board of Elections
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