On Thursday, August 20, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed new laws "that will make it easier for New Yorkers to vote and be counted in November." The legislation allows voters to request an absentee ballot due to risk of illness, including COVID-19, and expands the time frame for when those ballots can be requested and postmarked.
The three-part package includes new measures:
- allowing absentee ballot applications to be submitted to the Board of Elections immediately, adding almost 7 weeks to the amount of time a voter has to vote by absentee ballot,
- expanding the necessary protections to allow a voter to get an absentee ballot due to risk or fear of illness including COVID-19, and,
- ensuring all absentee ballots postmarked on or before Election Day or received by the Board of Elections without a postmark on the day after the Election will be counted. (Ballots with a postmark demonstrating that they were mailed on or before Election Day will be counted if received by November 10.)
Read more about the August 20, 2020 legislation. Click here.
You may register to vote using the New York State Voter Registration Form accessible at the links below. 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.
Read more about Voter Accessibility by clicking here.
How to Apply for an Absentee Ballot
You may apply for an absentee ballot in any of the following ways:
- Electronically through our Absentee Application Portal (COMING SOON)
- By sending an email request to your local county board of elections
- By sending a fax request to your local county board of elections
- By going in-person to your local county board of elections
By mailing a paper application to your local county board of elections
You can download a PDF verson of the New York Sate Absentee Ballot Application Form:
- Download English Form (https://www.elections.ny.gov/images/icons/PDF.gif 485KB)
- Download Spanish Form (https://www.elections.ny.gov/images/icons/PDF.gif 521KB)
Upon completion, applications must be mailed to your county board no later than the seventh day before the election or delivered in person no later than the day before the election.