New York Presidential Primary – April 19, 2016

In order to vote in Tuesday’s presidential primary, you must have already fulfilled two requirements

• Have already registered to vote in New York by March 25, 2016
• Have already enrolled with a political party by October 9, 2015

To verify your voter registration status or to find your polling place, click here

• If you do not know your New York county, a map can be found here
• You may also find your polling place here
• You may also call 1-866-VOTE-NYC to find your polling place or check your registration status

Polls will be open from 6:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M.

Because New York has a “closed” primary, only voters registered with the party of a candidate may vote in that primary

• If you are not registered as a Democrat or a Republican, according to New York state law you will not be able to vote in the primary on Tuesday April 19^th
• Any registered voter may vote in the four special elections also taking place on April 19^th.

Absentee voting: If you meet the above registration criteria and would like to vote absentee, please note the following requirements and deadlines:

• Requirements to vote absentee
  • You must be absent from your county on Election Day
  • Unable to appear at the polls due to temporary or permanent illness or disability; or because you are the primary care giver of one or more individuals who are ill or physically disabled
  • A patient or inmate in a Veterans’ Administration Hospital
  • Detained in jail awaiting Grand Jury action or confined in prison after conviction for an offense other than a felony
• Deadlines to vote absentee
  • In order to vote absentee you must first fill out an application for an absentee ballot
  • The deadline to request an application for an absentee ballot by mail has already passed, however you may still go to your Board of Elections Borough Office and request an application in person and vote there
  • If you already have your application and wish to mail your absentee ballot in, the deadline to postmark your ballot is April 18, 2016
  • If you wish to have somebody else hand in your absentee ballot, the deadline for delivery is April 19, 2016
• You can download a PDF version of the New York State Absentee Ballot Application Form here
• For more information on absentee voting, check out our WOTB page on absentee voting here

If you are not on the poll-list but are properly registered (with the Democratic or Republican party), ask the inspector to verify that you are at the proper table for your address. Make sure that you go to the correct polling place. You may not be on the list because your registration form was not received by the deadline or because you aren’t enrolled in a party.

If you believe that you are eligible, first ask the poll worker to call the county clerk and confirm your registration. If you are still not on the rolls, you should then ask for an affidavit ballot. After the election, the Board of Elections in the City of New York will check its records and your vote will be counted if you are indeed eligible to vote. If you are found to have not been eligible, you will receive a notice that you are not eligible, along with a registration application for future elections.

If you have questions about voting in tomorrow’s primary contest or are having trouble finding information, please contact our Legal Assistant Aaron Stanislawski at as3456@columbia.edu.