How to Vote – 2020 Primary

REGISTERING TO VOTE

You are eligible to vote in municipal, federal and state elections if you are:

  • 18 years of age on the date of the election;
  • United States citizen; AND
  • Registered to vote 25 days before the election.

To vote in a party primary:

  • You must be a registered member of that party.
  • An application to change party enrollment must be received by the board of elections no later than February 14, 2020.

 

APPLYING FOR AN ABSENTEE BALLOT FOR THE PRIMARY ELECTION

You may vote by absentee ballot if you are:

  • Absent from New York City on Election Day.
  • Unable to appear at the polls due to temporary or permanent illness or disability*; or because you are the primary care giver of one or more individuals who are ill or physically disabled.
  • A patient or inmate in a Veterans’ Administration Hospital.
  • Detained in jail awaiting Grand Jury action or confined in prison after conviction for an offense other than a felony.
  • An individual who has been released from incarceration on parole.

*The definition of “Temporary Illness” has been temporarily expanded to include those affected by COVID-19 and/or the potential of contracting the virus to prevent community spread, by Executive Order No. 202.15 of the Governor

How to apply for an absentee ballot if you are a registered voter in NYC:

How to fill in absentee ballot application:

  • Use blue or black ink.
  • If you intend to vote absentee because of the COVID-19 pandemic, indicate that the reason is “temporary illness”.
  • You may request to have your absentee ballot sent to an address other than your home location.

How to fill in an absentee ballot:

  • Once you receive the ballot, read and follow the instructions carefully. Avoiding mistakes will ensure your ballot is counted correctly.
  • If someone assists you with completing the absentee ballot, that person must complete and sign the voter assistance form.
  • If a mistake is made with a pencil, erase the mistake completely, and correct the mistake.
  • If a mistake is made with a pen, mark your choice on the ballot, and circle the name of the candidate for whom you want to vote.
  • Sign and date where indicated, usually marked with an X.
  • When you are finished marking your ballot, double check to make sure your choices are correct.

 

SUBMITTING YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATION AND VOTE

Deadlines for absentee ballot applications and submissions are as follows:

  • Submit online or mail your Absentee Ballot Application or Letter of Application by Tuesday, June 16th.
  • Apply for an Absentee Ballot in Person at your local county board of elections office by Monday, June 22nd.
  • Mail in your Absentee Ballot with a postmark by Tuesday, June 23rd using the postage-paid envelope you will receive with the ballot and sign the back of the envelope as instructed[1].
  • Drop off your Absentee Ballot in person by Tuesday, June 23rd to your local board of elections office – a friend or relative can drop it off.

In person absentee voting

  • Voting begins as soon as ballots are made available and ends on Election Day (June 23rd).
  • Absentee ballots can be cast at the Board of Elections office in your borough from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
  • Extended voting in office hours will occur in every borough office on:
    • Tuesday, June 16th: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
    • Thursday, June 18th: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
    • Saturday, June 20th: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
    • Sunday, June 21st: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • On Election Day (June 23rd), absentee ballots can be cast until 9 p.m.

Early Voting

 

VOTING ON ELECTION DAY

The Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, June 23rd. Polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. If you have general questions regarding eligibility or the location of your polling place, please call 1-866-VOTE-NYC. You can also locate your polling place online, including handicap entrances, at https://nyc.pollsitelocator.com/

Under federal law, if you are disabled and choose to vote in person rather than by absentee ballot, you are entitled to assistance. You can rely on the election employees for help.

At the polls, if you are not on the voter registration list, it may be because your registration form was not received in time or was filled out incorrectly. If you believe that you are eligible to vote, you can still vote by requesting an affidavit ballot. After the election, the Board of Elections will check its records and your vote will be counted if you are indeed eligible.

 

EARLY VOTING

All New York State counties are now required to provide each registered voter with nine additional days to cast a ballot in person prior to Election Day.  Voters will have an option to vote from Saturday, June 13th through Sunday, June 21st, in select polling sites across the five boroughs with differing hours. Each voter is assigned to a specific Early Voting Poll Site, which might be the same or different than their Election Day Poll Site. To locate your early voting site and its hours of operations, go to https://nyc.pollsitelocator.com/search. For more information on Early Voting, see https://vote.nyc/page/early-voting-information.

 

CASTING YOUR BALLOT

Paper ballots will be used for casting votes, which can be marked using either a pen or a ballot marking device (BMD) as described below. Ballots are counted after they are inserted into an electronic scanner. The scanner will then be used to count the votes after the polling place has closed at the end of Election Day. A bin attached to the scanner will capture and keep the paper ballots as a record of all votes. This new process began in 2010 with New York’s adoption of a new voting system to meet federal accessibility requirements.

The process works as follows:

Enter the poll site, sign in, and receive your paper ballot from the poll worker.

Mark your ballot through one of two means:

  • Go to a privacy booth and fill out your ballot with a pen by marking the appropriate ovals; or
  • Use a Ballot Marking Device (BMD), which is available for those who are in need of assistance (see below for more information).

Once done, place your ballot in the privacy sleeve, proceed to the scanner area, and insert the marked ballot into the scanner to cast your vote. Your ballot can be inserted in any direction.

If you make a mistake you can request a new ballot. If you mark your ballot incorrectly by marking more choices for one contest than you are supposed to, the scanner will notify you of an “overvote.” To have your vote count, you must obtain a new ballot and mark your choices correctly before submitting your ballot.

 

BALLOT MARKING DEVICE

Voters will be able to use the Election Systems & Software (ES&S) AutoMARK ballot marking device (BMD), which is mandated to be available at each polling location. Any voter, including voters with disabilities, may use the BMD to view or listen to the ballot in any of the required languages for that poll site (which may include English, Spanish, Chinese – Mandarin, Chinese – Cantonese or Korean). Voters may use the BMD to complete a paper ballot independently and privately on Election Day by using its ATM-style touch screen, Braille-enhanced keypad, sip and puff device or its rocker paddle. More information on the new process is available at the New York City Board of Elections website.

[1] http://nyccfb.info/nyc-votes/primaryfaq/

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