ABOUT Voting By Mail in NY
- REQUESTING a Ballot
- To Vote By Mail in New York's State and Local Primaries: By June 14th, 2025 voters must request a ballot online, or by mail or fax. NYC voters click here to request mail ballots.
- DEADLINE ALERT: The Local Board of Elections must RECEIVE ballot request by this date.
- After this deadline voters may request a ballot in-person at their Local Board of Elections (or give a person they trust written permission to do so on their behalf in Section 6 of the printable application form, through close of business on the day prior to Election Day, Monday, June 23, 2025.
- New! Any registered voter may apply for an "Early Mail ballot" without the need to provide an excuse.
- On the go? Traveling? When requesting a ballot, voters can have it mailed to an alternative (mailing) address.
- Voters with disabilities can click here to request an accessible electronic ballot. This can be used with a screen reader. NYC voters click here. Learn more about this program here.
- Each voter must apply for themselves. It is a felony to make a false statement in an application for a mail ballot, to attempt to cast an illegal ballot, or to help anyone to cast an illegal ballot.
- ALERT! New Ballot Counting Process and Lost Ballots: New York voters who have been mailed or issued a mail ballot and who then turn out to vote in person (Early Voting or on Election Day) may ONLY cast an affidavit (provisional) ballot at the polls, or vote the mail/absentee ballot. Regardless, only one ballot per voter will be counted.
- COMPLETING a Ballot
- After requesting a ballot, a voter will receive:
- Mail/Absentee Ballot: follow the instructions and mark your votes for each contest with a blue or black pen. Fill in the oval completely. Avoid making stray marks on the ballot.
- Inner Ballot (oath) Envelope: Must be securely sealed, signed, and dated accurately.
- Outer Return Envelope: Postage is prepaid (no stamp required). See below for “drop off” alternatives to mailing.
- Voters with disabilities may:
- Sign the Ballot (oath) Envelope themselves, or may make a mark and have that mark witnessed in the space provided on the oath Envelope for name and address of a witness.
- A power of attorney or name stamp is not allowed.
- Sign the Ballot (oath) Envelope themselves, or may make a mark and have that mark witnessed in the space provided on the oath Envelope for name and address of a witness.
- RETURNING a Ballot
Voters must return ballots prior to 9 PM on Election Day using ANY of these methods:
- By Mail: Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day. No postage stamp required.
- Return postage is FREE! (NYS Election Law §§ 8-406(2); 8-704(2))
- The USPS is required by law to properly deliver election mail, regardless of postage. If a mailed ballot is returned undelivered, please file a report with the NYS Attorney General’s Office and drop off your ballot using the options below if there is still time.
- By drop off at your Local Board of Elections Office during operating hours. Locate your Local Board of Elections. NYC voters may return ballots to any NYC Board of Elections office.
- By drop off at ANY Early Voting Site in your county during Early Voting operating hours (Find Local Early Voting Locations and Hours). NYC voters may drop it off at ANY Early Voting site in the Five Boroughs.
- By Drop off at ANY Election Day Poll Site in your county during Election Day operating hours (6 AM - 9 PM). NYC voters may drop off ballots at ANY Election Day poll site in the Five Boroughs.
- Know your Voting By Mail RIGHTS!
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- If a voter has requested but not received a mailed ballot (or if it is damaged, lost, or destroyed), you can request a fresh mail ballot if there is still time, or vote in person during Early Voting or on Election Day. However, these in-person voters may only cast an Affidavit (provisional) Ballot and should carefully complete and sign the affidavit, so it counts.
- Due to a recent change in law, voters who have already been mailed or issued a mail/absentee ballot are no longer permitted to cast a ballot on a voting machine, but may vote instead by affidavit ballot. Election officials will verify whether the voter’s requested mail ballot has been validly completed and returned. If so, the in-person affidavit ballot will NOT be counted. If the voter’s mail ballot has not been validly completed and returned, the affidavit ballot IS counted.
- To see all voting options for your county or borough Click Here.
- Opportunity to Cure Technical Errors. The law requires election officials to notify and allow voters to correct ("cure") several technical defects on their absentee ballot envelopes that otherwise disqualify the ballot. Impacted voters must be notified promptly of the defect and may file a cure affirmation with their election board within 7 days of the Board's mailing the notification.
- A curable defect includes when the ballot envelope: (i) is unsigned; (ii) has a non-matching signature; (iii) has no required witness to a mark; (iv) is returned without the (inner) affirmation envelope; (v) has an inner affirmation envelope signed by the person that provided assistance to the voter but is not signed or marked by the voter; (vi) contains the signature of someone other than the voter (eg. spouses who inadvertently mismatch envelopes); or (vii) is returned by mail between two and seven days after the election without any postmark. EL § 9-209(3)(b)
- Impacted voters will receive a notice by snail mail (and by email or phone if possible) from their local board. The "Cure Process" is Described Here.
- No Need to Cure Some Defects. Ballot envelopes are valid (do not require a cure) if: (i) a ballot envelope is undated or has the wrong date, provided it is postmarked by Election Day or is otherwise timely received; (ii) the voter signed or marked the inner affirmation envelope some place other than the signature line; (iii) a voter used a combination of any color ink or pencil on the envelope; (iv) extra papers found in the ballot envelope are board of elections materials; (v) an extrinsic mark or tear on the envelope from ordinary wear and tear of mailing; (vi) the envelope is sealed with tape or glue without indication of tampering; or (vii) the envelope is partially unsealed but there is no ability to access the ballot. EL § 9-209(3)(g)
- Additionally, a completed ballot received by the board of elections by mail that does not bear or display a dated postmark is presumed to be timely if such ballot bears a time stamp of the receiving board of elections indicating receipt on the day after the election. EL §§ 8-412; 8-710.
- If a voter has requested but not received a mailed ballot (or if it is damaged, lost, or destroyed), you can request a fresh mail ballot if there is still time, or vote in person during Early Voting or on Election Day. However, these in-person voters may only cast an Affidavit (provisional) Ballot and should carefully complete and sign the affidavit, so it counts.