NEW YORK – New Yorkers will go to the polls on August 23 to participate in primary elections for the state Senate and Congress.
The New York State Board of Elections reminded Tuesday that Monday, August 8, is the last day for the local county Board of Elections to receive an absentee ballot application for the August primary and special elections.
Over the summer, New York residents face two primary elections after redistricting rocked the state’s electoral maps and delayed the state House and Senate primaries until August.
THESE ARE THE KEY DATES
- August 8 – Last day for your local County Board of Elections to receive an absentee ballot application for the August primary and special elections.
- August 13-21: Early Voting.
- August 23: Vote! Primaries for the state Congress and Senate
How do I qualify to vote absentee?
- You are absent from your county or, if you are a New York City resident, absent from all five boroughs, on Election Day.
- Being unable to appear at the polls due to temporary or permanent illness or disability (temporary illness includes being unable to appear due to the risk of contracting or spreading a communicable disease such as COVID-19).
- You cannot come because you are the primary caregiver for one or more people 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.
How to request an absentee ballot
You may request an absentee ballot in any of the following ways:
How to cast an absentee ballot
- Once you receive the ballot, mark it according to your elections for each office by following the instructions on the ballot.
- Once you have finished marking your ballot, fold it and place it in the security envelope. (This envelope will have a place for your signature.)
- Sign and date the outside of the security envelope.
- Seal the security envelope.
- Put the security envelope in the return envelope. (This envelope will have your County Board of Elections return address on the outside and should have a logo that says “Official Election Mail”)
- Seal the return envelope.
You can return the ballot in any of the following ways:
- Put it in the mail making sure you receive a postmark no later than August 23rd.
- Bring it to your county Board of Elections office no later than August 23 at 9:00 pm
- Take it to an early voting site in your county between August 13 and August 21.
- By taking it to a polling place in your county on August 23 at 9 pm
Mailing Time Considerations When Returning an Absentee Ballot
When mailing in their completed ballot, the USPS recommends that voters allow ample time for ballots to be returned to the board, which is generally seven days before the general election. Voters mailing in their ballots on Election Day should be aware of the posted pickup times at drop boxes and Postal Service retail facilities, and that ballots returned after the last posted pickup time will not receive the postmarked by the next business day.
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