Qualifications to Register to Vote

To register to vote, you must:

• be a United States citizen;
• be at least 16 years of age (note: you must be 18 years old by the date of the election in which you want to vote);
• live at your present address for at least 30 days before an election;
• not be in prison for a felony conviction and;
• not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court;
• not claim the right to vote elsewhere.

How and Where to Register to Vote (Deadlines)

• If you have a NYS DMV-issued identification, you can register online at dmv.ny.gov.
• You can register in person at your county board of elections or at any New York State Agency-Based voter registration center.
• You can request a New York State Voter Registration form by mail by entering your name directly into the mailing list database.
• You can call the 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 PDF 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. Alternatively, you can print the form to complete by hand.
  • Complete English Form On-line ( 306KB)
  • Complete Spanish Form On-Line ( 310KB)
  • 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 the 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. Changes of enrollment received after February 14^th and until seven days after the June primary will take effect the seventh day following the June primary. All other enrollment changes will take effect immediately. Please see Deadlines referenced above.

How to Cancel Your Registration

In order to have your name removed from the voting rolls, pursuant to N.Y. Election Law section 5-400, you must send a written letter to the local board of elections where you lived requesting to have your registration cancelled. You must send a written letter, you cannot accomplish this via email. Contact information for all local boards is available at the county board of elections page.

Victims of Domestic Violence

N.Y. Election Law (5-508) allows victims of domestic violence who obtain a court order from NY Supreme 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.