Register to Vote

 
To become a registered voter in the City of New York,

you must:

1. Be a citizen of the United States, including persons born in Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  **
2. Be a New York City resident for at least 30 days.
3. Be 18 years of age before the next election.
4. Not be serving a jail sentence or be on parole for a felony conviction
5. Not be judged mentally incompetent by a court.
6. Not claim the right to vote outside the City of New York.

Although you can register any time during the year, your voter registration application form must be delivered or mailed at least 25 days before the next election for it to be effective for that election.

How To Register:

1. Download A Voter Registration Form from the New York City Board of Elections.

• English Version
• Spanish Version (Español)
• Chinese Version
• Korean Version

Important Instructions:

Fill out a Voter Registration Application form using only a pen with blue or black ink.  Your voter registration form MUST be signed.

Your voter registration form MUST be mailed or submitted in person.  If you mail it, then send it to this address.

NYC Board of Elections
32 Broadway, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10004-1609

2. Register In Person at:

Municipal Building, 210 Joralemon Street (opposite Borough Hall), 4th Floor

Brooklyn, New York 11201
Tel: 1-718-797-8800

3. If you need help with registration or voting, call the Board of Elections' Phone Bank

The Board of Elections operates a Phone Bank supporting up to 80 simultaneous users during office hours (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) with a multi-lingual staff of English, Chinese Mandarin/Cantonese, Korean and Spanish speaking operators.

Toll Free:                          1-866-VOTE-NYC (1-866-868-3692)
Outside of New York City:   1-212-VOTE-NYC
TDD:                                1-212-487-5496

Party Affiliation:

The registration form contains a section where you can indicate your choice for party affiliation. If you would like to register without designating a party, simply mark the space indicating "I do not wish to enroll in a party."

The following parties are recognized in New York State: 
• Republican
• Democratic
• Independence
• Conservative
• Working Families

Please read these important notes! 

• If you do not choose a party, then you CANNOT vote in Primary Elections for local offices or President of the United States.  In most of Brooklyn, particularly in the 11th Congressional District, the overwhelming majority of voters are registered Democrats.  Therefore, the election you have an interest in is probably decided by the Democratic Primary in September and NOT the November General Election.  [See "The Primary System" below.] 

• The "Independence" Party is not the same as being "an independent."  The Independence Party has a structure just like the Democratic, Republican and Working Families Parties. 

In New York State, to become an "independent" voter you mark the space on the Voter Registration form indicating "I do not wish to enroll in a party." This means you are a "Non-Enrolled" voter. 

Non-Enrolled voters only vote in General Elections (November) or in non-partisan elections (occasional Special Elections).

• At this time, the Green Party is not a pre-printed choice available to you when you register.  You can still select the Green Party, however, by writing "Green" on the line next to the box labeled "Other" (and check the box, too!)
• If you are already registered and you want to change your political party, or you were Non-Enrolled and now want to join a Party, then you will NOT be able to vote in that Party's Primary Election this year (2006).  The effective date of your enrollment change is AFTER the next General Election (November, 2006).  [See "Changing Party Affiliation" below.]
  

The Primary System

In a Primary Election, only voters registered with one of the parties qualified to hold a Primary in New York City may vote in a Primary Election to nominate their party's candidate to run in the General Election.

Candidates nominated by the parties for each office then appear on the general election ballot, along with any independent candidates who gain access to the general ballot without running in the party primaries.

Voters registered without party affiliation ("Non-Enrolled" voters) may vote only in General and Special Elections.

Changing Party Affiliation

You can change your party affiliation by obtaining a Voter Registration Form, indicating the change and sending it to the Board of Elections. Your form will be processed and you will receive a new voter card reflecting the new party.

You cannot CHANGE your enrollment and vote in the NEW PARTY of your choice in the same year.

Please Note: a change of enrollment will go into affect one week following the General Election. The last day to change your enrollment is the same as the last day to register for the General Election (25 days prior to the date of the General Election).  

THIS YEAR (2007) THE LAST DAY TO CHANGE YOUR ENROLLMENT FOR 2008 IS OCTOBER 13. 

IF YOU WANT TO VOTE IN THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES ON FEBRUARY 5, 2008, YOU MUST REGISTER AS A DEMOCRAT (OR CHANGE YOUR PARTY AFFILIATION TO DEMOCRAT BY FILING A NEW VOTER REGISTRATION FORM) BY OCTOBER 13.  YOU WILL THEN BE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE AS A DEMOCRAT THROUGHOUT CALENDAR YEAR 2008 (OR LONGER IF YOU REMAIN A REGISTEREDT DEMOCRAT).

Keeping Your Registration Current

The law says that your residence address determines the where you are eligible to vote. New York State law requires voters to notify the Board of Elections within 25 days of an address change to preserve their voting rights.

To make changes to your registration, you must notify the Board of Elections in writing.  This includes any change to your registration (change of address or name). You may also file a new, updated Voter Registration form which will supercede your old one.

**  Chris Owens supports giving a Legal Resident the right to vote in municipal and statewide elections, provided that she/he has applied for citizenship.