Get Civically Fit

You are eligible to vote absentee if you are: 

• Absent from your county or, if a resident of New York City absent from the five boroughs, on Election Day.
• Unable to appear at the polls due to temporary or permanent illness or disability (temporary illness includes being unable to appear due to risk of contracting or spreading a communicable disease like COVID-19).
• Unable to appear because you are the primary caregiver of one or more individuals who are ill or physically disabled.
• A resident or patient of a Veterans Health Administration Hospital.
• In jail or prison for any reason other than a felony conviction. This includes anyone who is awaiting grand jury action, awaiting trial, or serving a sentence for a misdemeanor.

Important: Any voter who is issued an absentee ballot will no longer be able to cast a regular ballot for that election at their polling location during early voting or on election day. What this means is if you are issued an absentee ballot and instead decide to vote in person, you will be allowed to vote only by affidavit ballot at the polling site.  Affidavit ballots are returned unopened on election night to the Board of Elections and counted only if it is determined that you cast no other ballot for that election.

Others may apply for an absentee ballot using New York State’s online Absentee Ballot Application portal:  https://absenteeballot.elections.ny.gov/. If you need accessible features you may apply using the online Accessible Absentee Ballot Application portal: https://absenteeballot.elections.ny.gov/home/accessible

1. If you requested an absentee ballot, the ballot itself will be mailed to you at the address you listed on the absentee ballot application form. Once your receive the ballot, mark the ballot according to your choices for each office following the instructions on the ballot. Fold it up and place it in the Security Envelope. Sign and date the outside of the Security Envelope. Seal and return (must be postmarked by election day). The USPS recommends that voters allow enough time for ballots to be returned to the Board, which is generally seven days ahead of the general election. Voters who mail in their ballots on Election Day must be aware of the posted collection times on collection boxes and at the Postal Service’s retail facilities, and that ballots entered after the last posted collection time will not be postmarked until the following business day.

Early Voting in New York

Time Saving Tip: When early voting, if you take your voter registration card with you, they can use the barcode on the back to more quickly retrieve your voter registration information in the electronic rolls. 

Voting at the Polls on Election Day

To vote in person on election day, you must report to the designated polling place for the address at which you are registered to vote. If you are not sure where your polling place is, or you lost your voter registration card, look up your information.

A well-functioning democracy is dependent upon fair and open elections and on the dedicated workers, everyday citizens like you, who give their time and talent to staffing the polling places on election day.  You can be a direct part of this great civic endeavor by becoming a poll worker (also known as an elections inspector). 

Working Days: Election Day and Early Voting days. You will have to attend a training session. The hours of an Election Inspector are 5:30 a.m. until approximately 9:30 p.m., with 1-hour breaks for both lunch and dinner.

The rate of compensation varies by county. Erie County pays $190 for the day for inspectors and $25 for the training. You are required to provide your own transportation to the election district to which you are assigned (you can specify in the application where you are willing to work).

• Erie County Poll Worker Application 
• New York City Poll Worker Application
• For other counties in New York
• Poll Worker Qualifications and Duties Information and FAQ