Registering to Vote

Qualifications to Register to Vote

be a United States citizen;
be 18 years old by December 31 of the year in which you file this form (note: you must be 18 years old by the date of the general, primary or other election in which you want to vote);
live at your present address at least 30 days before an election;
not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction and;
not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court;
not claim the right to vote elsewhere.

How and Where to register to Vote (Deadlines)

You can register in person at your county board of elections
or at any New York State Agency-Based voter registration center.
You can enter your name directly into our mailing list database to have a New York State Voter Registration Form mailed to you. (NOTE: The same form can be downloaded, using the link below.)
You can call our 1-800-FOR-VOTE hotline to request a voter application.
You can download a PDF version of the New York State Voter Registration Form.
- Download English Form ( 279KB)
- Download Spanish Form ( 300KB)
  Print the form, complete and sign it, and mail it to your county board of elections.
Alternately, you can complete a PDF version of the New York State Voter Registration Form on-line by clicking on the link below, typing the necessary information and selecting the appropriate boxes. However, the file size of these forms are substantially larger than the above forms, so it may take quite a while for them to load on computers with slower Internet connections.
- Complete English Form On-line ( 426KB)
- Complete Spanish Form On-LIne ( 330KB)
  Once the form is completed, you need to print the form and sign it. We cannot accept any kind of digital or Adobe-generated signature. Then, mail the form to your county board of elections.

How to Make Changes to Your Registration

Change of Name and/or Address

The voter registration form should be used as a change of address form. Notices of change of address from registered voters received at least 20 days before a special, primary or general election by a county board of elections must be processed and entered in the records in time for that election.

Change of Party Enrollment

The voter registration form should be used to change your party enrollment from one party to another or to enroll for the first time in a party. A change of enrollment received no later than 25 days before the general election shall be deposited in a sealed enrollment box and opened the first Tuesday following that general election and entered in the voter’s registration record.