This is not a normal year and there will be many challenges to voting – Covid, problems with the post office, etc. There are a number of ways you can vote this year and planning in advance can help make sure your vote will count.
Urge your friends and family to make a plan to vote.
- First – make sure you are registered to vote. You must register in New York by Friday, October 9. You can check your registration by using New York’s voter registration lookup tool. Instructions on registering to Vote can be found below.
- You can vote early in person starting Saturday, October 24 at specially designated polling places assigned according to where you live. Voting in person is the most effective way to ensure your vote is counted and in a timely manner. These locations will be announced soon and usually have no lines. Go to Vote Early NY to learn more. This site will be updated as early polling places are announced.
- Registered voters who live in the five boroughs can now request an absentee ballot online if they are concerned about COVID. Note, if the reason you are requesting a ballot is COVID, you will be instructed to check “temporary illness.” Ballots will be mailed out starting the second week of September. You must request a ballot no later than Tuesday, October 27, but please do not wait!
- To make sure your absentee ballot will count, apply asap and mail it as far in advance of Election Day as you can. You can also drop it off at your local Board of Elections or at your polling place during early or regular voting (though if you wait until Election Day, you may find crowds).
- And of course, you can vote in person on Election Day – Tuesday, November 3.
- The New York Times says “Vote In Person, New York.”
- Know any 18-30 year olds who could use some encouragement to register and vote? Send them to feelgoodvoting.org.
- For those who may vote out of state or have friends or family who do, here’s a guide put together by vote.org that tells you how to vote in all 50 states.
Not registered to vote? Here’s how and where you can get that done.
Deadline in NY is Friday, October 9. Note – if you have moved outside of the city or county in which you were registered or if you have failed to vote in two consecutive federal elections and have not confirmed your address during that period, you will have to re-register to vote.
- 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 the 1-800-FOR-VOTE hotline to request a voter application.
Are there other ways to help?
Yes! Learn more about Shaaray Tefila’s Every Voice, Every Vote Civic Engagement Campaign and check out the resource bank curated by our Civic Engagement Team.