ballotbymail.org · nonpartisan
Voting by mail in New York
Yes. Anyone can request a mail ballot. Any registered voter can request a mail (absentee) ballot, no reason needed. There's a deadline, so request early. Any voter can request an early mail ballot. In-person applications are accepted until the day before. Ballots go out 46 days before Election Day (Sept. 18). Once you've been issued a mail ballot, voting in person means an affidavit ballot.
Key dates
| Register to vote by | Mon, Oct 19 by mail, Sat, Oct 24 online |
| Mail ballot request received by | Sat, Oct 24 |
| Early in-person voting | Sat, Oct 24 – Sun, Nov 1 |
| Mail your ballot by | Tue, Oct 27 (USPS: allow 7 days) |
| Election Day | Tue, Nov 3 |
| ID at the polls | No ID needed at the polls. Without one: Regular voters: nothing. HAVA-flagged voter without ID votes by affidavit (provisional) ballot. |
| Return rule | Postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by Nov. 10, or hand-delivered by 9 p.m. Nov. 3 to your county board or any poll site (or to an early voting site Oct. 24–Nov. 1). Return envelope is postage-paid. |
| Fix a flagged ballot by | Tue, Nov 10 |
| Missed the request deadline? | Any absentee-eligible voter applying in person at the county board, or through an agent: by Mon, Nov 2, during board office hours. |
| Who can return it for you | The official source doesn't say whether someone else may carry it; ask your county. The law says the sealed envelope 'shall then be mailed or delivered to the board of elections ... or deposited in a ballot drop box' and doesn't say who may deliver it. Drop boxes are allowed. No limit in statute. |
Steps
- Request your ballot now. Don't wait for the deadline.
- Confirm your registration and mailing address while you're at it.
- When it arrives, fill it out in blue or black ink and sign the envelope.
- Return it by drop box or in person if you can. Mail it at least a week early if not.
- Track it on your state's tracker until it shows received.
Don't get rejected
- Sign the envelope the way you signed your voter registration or driver's license. Your state compares them.
- Use the secrecy sleeve if one is included, then the return envelope. Don't tape anything.
- Your state goes by the postmark. Automated postmarks can lag a day, so hand it to a clerk at the post office counter and ask for a manual postmark (free).
- Keep the phone and email on your registration current. If there's a problem, that's how they reach you to fix it.
https://elections.ny.gov/request-ballot
https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/
https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/
ballotbymail.org/state/ny
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Rules checked 2026-09-09; deadlines checked 2026-09-09. Sources: NCSL, Vote.org, CEIR, state election offices. The official site wins if anything differs. Free to copy and post.