Talking Points
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Are you properly registered to vote?
Do you wish to vote by absentee ballot?
If you do not use your liberty, it will go away.
The best way to celebrate democracy is by informed voting!
If you wish to register to vote, OR change your registration address OR change your political party registration OR vote by absentee ballot, OR if you know someone who wants to do so, please read the following information. For some of these things, there are only THREE DAYS left.
HJB
November 6, 2018 General Election Deadlines For Voter Registration, Change of Address and Change of Party Enrollment
MAIL REGISTRATION (N.Y. Election Law Section 5-210(3))
Applications must be postmarked no later than October 12, 2018 and received by a board of elections no later than October 17, 2018 to be eligible to vote in the General Election.
IN PERSON REGISTRATION (N.Y. Election Law Sections 5-210, 5-211, 5-212)
You may register at your local board of elections or any state agency participating in the National Voter Registration Act, on any business day throughout the year but, to be eligible to vote in the General Election, your application must be received no later than October 12, 2018. If honorably discharged from the US Military or have become a naturalized US Citizen after October 13, 2018, you may register in person at the Board of Elections up until October 27, 2018.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS (N.Y. Election Law Section 5-208(3))
Notices of change of address from registered voters received by October 17, 2018 by a county board of elections must be processed and entered in the records in time for the General Election.
CHANGE OF ENROLLMENT (N.Y. Election Law Section 5-304(3))
An application to change one’s party enrollment for 2019 must be received by the board of elections no later than October 12, 2018.
Absentee Ballot for November 6, 2018 GENERAL ELECTION
Date | Deadline Information |
October 30 | Last day to postmark an application or letter of application by mail for an absentee ballot. |
November 5 | Last day to apply IN-PERSON for absentee ballot. |
November 5 | Last day to postmark ballot. Must be received by the local board of elections no later than Nov. 19th. Military Voter Ballots must be received no later than Nov. 19th. |
November 6 | Last day to deliver ballot IN-PERSON to the local board of elections (by someone other than the voter). |
Register to Vote
Qualifications to Register to Vote
- be a United States citizen;
- be 18 years old by December 31 of the year in which you file this form (note: you must be 18 years old by the date of the general, primary or other election in which you want to vote);
- resident of this state and the county, city or village for at least 30 days before the election;
- not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction (unless parolee pardoned or restored rights of citizenship);
- not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court;
- not claim the right to vote elsewhere.
How and Where to Register to Vote (Deadlines)
- You can register in person at your county board of elections or at any New York State Agency-Based voter registration center.
- You may also submit your voter application form at the Department of Motor Vehicles, either in person or on their web site if you already have DMV-issued identification.
- You can request a New York State Voter Registration form by mail by entering your name directly into our mailing list database.
- You can call our 1-800-FOR-VOTE hotline to request a voter application.
New York State Voter Registration Form
- You may register to vote using the New York State Voter Registration Form accessible at the links below. You can complete a PDFversion of the New York State Voter Registration Form on-line by clicking on the link below, typing the necessary information and selecting the appropriate boxes. Alternatively, you can print the form to complete by hand.
- Complete English Form On-line ( 426KB)
- Complete Spanish Form On-LIne ( 330KB)
Once the form is completed, you need to print the form and sign it. We cannot accept any kind of digital or Adobe-generated signature. Then, mail the form to your county board of elections.
- You can also complete an Accessible version of the New York State Voter Registration Form on-line by clicking on the link below, typing the necessary information and selecting the appropriate boxes.
- Accessible English Form On-line
- Accessible Spanish Form On-Line
- Once the form is completed, you need to print the form and sign and date it. Then, mail the form to your county board of elections.
- How to Make Changes to Your Registration
Change of Name and/or Address
The voter registration form should be used as a change of address form. Notices of change of address from registered voters received at least 20 days before a special, primary or general election by a county board of elections must be processed and entered in the records in time for that election.
Change of Party Enrollment
The voter registration form should be used to change your party enrollment from one party to another or to enroll for the first time in a party. A change of enrollment received no later than 25 days before the general election shall be deposited in a sealed enrollment box and opened the first Tuesday following that general election and entered in the voter’s registration record. Please see Deadlines referenced above.
Victims of Domestic Violence
N.Y. Election Law (5-508) allows victims of domestic violence who obtain a court order from NY Supreme Court, Family Court or County Court in the county where they are registered to have their voter registration record kept separate and apart from other registration records and not be made available for inspection or copying by the public or any other person, except election officials acting within the course and scope of their official duties. Under a separate section of the law (11-306), you can also be excused from going to your polling place to vote and get a special ballot. For further information, you should contact your local board of elections for their confidential registration and special ballot procedures.
================
[Opinions expressed in Talking Points and in reader comments to Talking Points are the opinions of their authors and not necessarily of the Rockville Centre Democratic Club or its officers and directors]
For this and prior Talking Points or to make comments – visit https://rvcdems.com/category/talkingpoints/
To unsubscribe from this list, click here.