October 16, 2024
You’re a busy New Yorker, we know. If you can’t make it to the polls on Election Day, but are not sure how or if you can vote by mail, then we're here to help guide you.
We’re breaking down the differences behind absentee, early mail and accessible ballots, sharing some voting by mail history, and letting you know how to vote by mail!
In the past, voters were only able to vote by mail by requesting an absentee ballot from New York City’s Board of Elections (BOE). An absentee ballot required a valid reason that a voter couldn’t make it to the polls on Election Day. Think illness, injury or, more often, being out of town and unable to access a polling site.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, expansions to vote-by-mail processes allowed any New Yorker to vote by mail through early mail ballots. On September 20, 2023, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul signed a law establishing the New York Early Mail Voter Act. This legislation officially permitted any New Yorker to utilize early mail ballots, regardless of reason.
An early mail ballot functions the same as an absentee ballot.
An early mail ballot functions the same as an absentee ballot. The only difference when requesting an absentee ballot instead of an early mail ballot is that you will be asked to share your reason for voting absentee and won't need one when voting by mail.
If a voter has a disability that interferes with reading, writing, or the use of printed materials, an accessible ballot can be requested, which can be read by a screen reader. To request an accessible ballot, you must be a registered voter in New York City with a print disability including blindness, low vision, dyslexia, dysgraphia, learning disabilities, and those that limit writing abilities.
A Brief History of Voting By Mail In NY & Beyond
Ballot boxes like reading about the history of voting by mail too!
Did you know? In the past, voting from home was only available during wartime and dated as far back as the 17th century, according to Time Magazine. But it was the Civil War that brought absentee voting to the forefront for soldiers who were fighting away from home. And World War I saw the country's first non-military, work-related absentee voters.
Fun fact: In 1978, California became the first state to allow voters to request an absentee ballot without requiring a reason.
In New York in 2020 — the first year mail ballots were made available to all New Yorkers due to COVID-19 — voting by mail was popular in the primary and general elections: 37.4% of primary election voters and 21.4% of general election voters returned absentee ballots, compared to 2.6% of voters who returned absentee ballots in the 2019 off-year election.
Despite the popularity of vote-by-mail options, opposers argued that the legislation violated the state constitution.
But the New York Early Mail Voter Act persevered. A New York Court of Appeals judge ruled that the constitution didn’t prevent lawmakers from making “alternative voting methods” available to voters.
Fun fact: The legislation officially made New York one of 36 states that allow voters to vote by mail.
Some quick facts about voting by mail in NYC:
- If you don't vote by mail after requesting an absentee or early mail ballot, you’ll have to vote with an affidavit ballot at your poll site.
- You can drop off your completed mail-in ballot at any NYC poll site. Ballot boxes will be available at the front desk.
- Track the status of your ballot after you request it, and after you’ve mailed it back in through the City BOE’s ballot tracker.
- The BOE can receive ballots up to seven days after Election Day. As long as the ballot is mailed in on or before Election Day, then it counts!
The deadline to apply for any type of mail in ballot before the upcoming General Election is Saturday, October 26, 2024. And all mail in ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
A Step-By-Step Guide on How to Vote By Mail in NYC
1. Make sure you’re registered to vote.
You can check your registration status with at the BOE's Registered Voter Search
2. Request a ballot.
To request your ballot online, first decide if you’re requesting an absentee, accessible or early mail ballot.
申请缺席选票
Request an accessible ballot
Request an early mail ballot
To request your ballot by phone, you can call 1-866-VOTE-NYC (1-866-868-3692).
And finally, to request a ballot by mail, find the absentee or early voting request forms, available in 10 languages, from the BOE website. Just fill out the paper request form and mail it to your local NYC BOE office.
3. Complete your ballot once you’ve received it.
Sign and seal the return envelope and drop it in a mailbox or at your nearest poll site. No postage needed!
Make sure to request your ballot before October 26, 2024.
Whether you’re in New York City on Election Day or not, voting by mail ensures you’re still part of how New York City runs, no matter what.
Happy voting (by mail)!