To vote in New York City, you need to be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old by Election Day, and a resident of your borough for at least 30 days. You also need to be registered by the deadline, which is 10 days before the election if you register online or in person, or postmarked 15 days before if you register by mail. At the poll site itself, most voters don’t need to show any ID at all.
Who Is Eligible to Vote
New York Election Law § 5-102 sets three requirements: U.S. citizenship, age 18 or older on Election Day, and residence in your county or borough for at least 30 days before the election.1New York State Senate. New York Election Law 5-102 – Qualifications of Voters; Age and Residence The 30-day clock runs from your borough, not from the city as a whole. If you moved from Brooklyn to Queens three weeks before an election, you’d vote based on your Brooklyn address.
You don’t need a permanent home to register. If you live in a shelter, a group home, or are staying with someone temporarily, you can register using that address as long as it’s where you actually sleep most nights. Students attending school in the city can register at either their campus address or their family home, but not both.
If You Have a Felony Conviction
Since 2021, the only people barred from voting in New York are those currently serving a prison sentence for a felony. The moment you’re released from incarceration, your right to vote is automatically restored. You don’t have to apply, petition a court, or wait for paperwork. People on parole, probation, or serving a suspended sentence are all eligible. If your sentence didn’t include prison time, you never lost your voting rights.2New York State Senate. New York Election Law 5-106 – Right to Register and Vote After a Felony Conviction Older guidance and even some government websites still carry outdated language suggesting parole disqualifies you. It doesn’t.
What You Need to Register
You can register online, by mail, or in person. All three methods ask for the same core information: your full legal name, residential address, date of birth, and either your New York DMV-issued ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security number.3NYC Board of Elections. Voter ID
Online
The fastest route is the state’s online portal, reached through the New York State Board of Elections website. You’ll need a NY.Gov ID account and a valid New York driver’s license, learner’s permit, or non-driver ID card on file with the DMV.4The State of New York. Register to Vote The system pulls your signature and information straight from DMV records. If you don’t have a New York State ID, use the paper form instead.
Paper Form
Paper registration forms are available at NYC Board of Elections borough offices, public libraries, post offices, DMV offices, and on the Board of Elections website. Fill it out, sign it, and either mail it to the borough office for your address or hand-deliver it. If you don’t have a DMV number or Social Security number, check the box on the form and include a copy of a valid photo ID, a utility bill, a bank statement, or another government document showing your name and address. If the Board of Elections can’t verify your identity before Election Day, you’ll be asked to show ID at the poll site the first time you vote.
Party Enrollment
The form includes an optional field for party enrollment. Choosing a party isn’t required, but if you skip it, you can’t vote in primaries. New York runs closed primaries, so only enrolled party members can vote in that party’s primary. If you want to switch parties before a primary, that change must reach the Board of Elections by February 14 of the election year.5New York State Board of Elections. Registration and Voting Deadlines Miss that date and your change won’t take effect until after the primary has already happened.
Registration Deadlines
The cutoffs depend on how you register:6Vote.gov. How to Register in New York
- Online or in person: 10 days before Election Day.
- By mail: postmarked at least 15 days before Election Day and received by the Board of Elections at least 10 days before.
If you’re mailing a form, build in extra time. A form that arrives after the receipt deadline won’t be processed no matter when it was postmarked. After your registration goes through, you’ll get a voter notification card confirming your enrollment and poll site. You can also check your status at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov.7New York State Board of Elections. Voter Search Screen for VoterLookUp
What ID You Need at the Polls
Most voters in NYC don’t need to show any ID. The poll worker finds your name in the registration book, you sign next to it, and your signature is compared with the one on file from your registration. That’s the whole check.3NYC Board of Elections. Voter ID
There’s one exception. If you’re a first-time voter in a federal election, registered by mail, and didn’t include a DMV number or Social Security digits with your registration, you need to show one of the following under New York Election Law § 8-303:8New York State Senate. New York Election Law 8-303 – Initial Voter Identification
- A current photo ID.
- A document showing your name and address: a utility bill, bank statement, government check, or paycheck.
If you show up without the required document, you aren’t turned away. You’ll be offered an affidavit ballot instead.
Affidavit Ballots
An affidavit ballot is your fallback. If your name isn’t in the poll book, if there’s a registration mix-up, or if you’re a first-time voter without the required ID, you can still cast a vote by signing a short sworn statement and marking a paper ballot. Poll workers are required to offer this option; you shouldn’t have to ask. The Board of Elections reviews the affidavit after Election Day and checks it against registration records. If your application was received by the 10th day before the election and you’re otherwise eligible, your ballot counts even if your name was missing from the poll book due to a processing error.9New York State Senate. New York Election Law 8-302 – Voting
Voting Early or by Mail
If you can’t make it on Election Day, two options are open to any registered voter.
Early in-person voting runs for about nine days before Election Day at designated early voting sites. Your early voting site is not necessarily the same as your Election Day poll site, so look it up on the NYC Board of Elections’ site finder at findmypollsite.vote.nyc.10NYC Board of Elections. Find My Poll Site
The Early Mail Voter Act lets any registered voter request a mail ballot without providing a reason.11New York State Senate. New York Senate Bill 2023-S7394A – Early Mail Voter Act If you apply online or by mail, your request must be received at least 10 days before the election. If you apply in person at the Board of Elections office, you can do so up to the day before. Once you receive your ballot, return it by mail, drop it off at your Board of Elections office, or leave it at a designated drop-off location.
If You Moved Within NYC
If you moved within the city, update your registration through the online portal or by submitting a new paper form with your new address.12New York State Board of Elections. Voter Registration Process The update needs to reach the Board of Elections at least 15 days before the election to take effect for that vote. If you moved recently and didn’t update in time, you can still vote at your old poll site for that election, or go to the new one and cast an affidavit ballot. Don’t let an address change keep you from showing up.