Registering to Vote FAQ

Fill out a voter registration form and submit it in person or by mail with the NYC Board of Elections (BOE). You can download a registration form from the BOE’s website, pick one up at your local BOE office, at many NYC agency customer service locations, or call 866-VOTE-NYC (212-487-5496 for the hearing impaired) to request one by mail. NY residents can also register online (see below). The deadline for postmarked and in-person registration submissions is 25 days prior to the election you wish to vote in.

Online voter registration is available through the DMV, but requires a valid New York State ID. Visit the DMV website to set up a profile and register online.

Use the Voter Registration Look-up to check your registration status online, or call the 866-VOTE-NYC for assistance.

Your registration has no expiration date, but it may be moved to inactive if you did not vote in the last two federal elections, or if you moved and did not update your address with the BOE.

When you move, New York State law requires you to change your address with the BOE within 25 days. You do this by submitting a new voter registration form and filling in the information on the form, including information in the box labeled “Voting information that has changed.” Fill in your new and old address, check the box for the party you wish to be enrolled in (do this even if you were enrolled in a party at your old address), and provide any other requested information. If you moved but you didn’t change your address with the BOE before the deadline, you should go to your new polling place and vote by affidavit ballot. Call 866-VOTE-NYC to find out whether your change of address has been processed.

You may not register or vote, if you have been convicted of a felony and for that felony:

• You are currently incarcerated; or
• You are under parole supervision.

You may register and vote if you were convicted of a felony and for that felony:

• You were sentenced to probation;
• You were not sentenced to incarceration or your prison sentence was suspended;
• You have served your maximum prison sentence, in which case you are able to re-register to vote
• You were on parole and then discharged, in which case you are able to re-register to vote; or
• You have received a pardon.

You can register and vote, even from jail, if you have been convicted of only a misdemeanor. The same rules apply whether you were convicted in a New York court, another state’s court, or a federal court. You do not need to provide any documentation about your criminal record in order to register and vote.

Yes, you have the right to register and vote. Fill out a voter registration form and write a location where you can be found, such as “Bench on Central Park on 86th Street,” as the address where you live. You will be assigned a poll site based on this address. Write the address of a shelter, P.O. Box, or family member as the address where you receive mail. Your voter card will be sent to this address.