Register To Vote For The 2018 New York State Primary Election

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The deadline to register to vote in the New York State and Local Primary Election is Sunday, August 19. Applications must be postmarked by August 19 and received by the Board of Elections no later than Friday, August 24.

The primaries are scheduled for September 13, which falls on a Thursday instead of Tuesday, to avoid conflicts with September 11 and Rosh Hashanah, Gothamist notes. The primary election will determine who will run for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and for Senate and Assembly seats in various districts in November’s General Election. Read more about the New York State and Local primary races here (D) and here (R).

If you are interested in registering, first make sure you are eligible by checking out the list of requirements below.

QUALIFICATIONS TO REGISTER TO VOTE

  • be a United States citizen
  • be a resident of NYC for at least 30 days
  • be 18 years old before the next election
  • not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction
  • not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court
  • not be registered to vote elsewhere

Not sure if you’re already registered? You can find out at the New York State Board of Election’s Voter Lookup.

ONLINE REGISTRATION
The quickest way to register is to go online with Electronic Voter Registration. Log onto the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles website, MyDMV, with your ID number from your NYS driver’s license, permit, or non-driver ID card. You will also need to provide your zip code currently on record at the DMV as well as the last four digits of your social security  number.

If you don’t already have a MyDMV account, you can create one and then click on “Register to Vote.” Confirm your name, gender, address, and birthday, and pick a political party.

Note: for primary elections, only Democrats and Republicans can vote for their respective party candidates, so if you’re a registered Independent, you won’t be eligible to vote in the primary race.

The deadline to change your party affiliation is October 12, 2018—25 days before the November 6 general election. The change to your party enrollment will go into effect for 2019 as “party affiliation must be changed at the time of the previous general election,” according to Gothamist.

MAIL REGISTRATION
You can also mail in your completed voter registration form to the Kings County Board of Elections, 345 Adams Street, 4th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

Again, your application must be postmarked no later than August 19 and received by the Board of Elections no later than August 24 to be eligible to vote in the Primary.

IN PERSON REGISTRATION
Another option is to drop off your voter registration form at a DMV location or complete the form in person at the Brooklyn Board of Elections Office (see address above) or at a New York State agency-based voter registration center during normal business hours.

To be eligible to vote in the State and Local Primary, your application must be received no later than August 19, but that’s a Sunday, so Friday, August 17 is your last chance to register in person.

The deadline to register to vote in the General Election on November 7 is October 12. Mailed applications must be postmarked no later than October 12 and received by the Board of Elections no later than Wednesday, October 17, 2018.

You can find more information about voting at the New York State Board of Elections website.