Deadline to register to vote is approaching

Election Day is Nov. 3, but to make your voice heard you must be registered to vote. On National Voter Registration Day, Governor Andrew Cuomo encouraged all eligible New Yorkers to confirm they are registered, or if not yet registered to do so. The deadline to register to vote in the upcoming election is Oct. 9.

“You can register to vote online through the DMV if you have a State-issued ID or, if not, you can register by mail or at the Board of Elections,” said Governor Cuomo in a release, adding “To our young New Yorkers, don’t forget – you can register to vote if you are now 17 but are turning 18 on or by Nov. 3.  And to all New Yorkers, once you register, remember – there are three ways to vote this year: absentee voting, early voting, and in-person on Election Day.

“The single most important way to shape the future of this state and this nation is to exercise your right to vote,” Governor Cuomo added. 

You can register in person at your county board of elections or at any New York State Agency-Based voter registration center. In Tioga County, you can contact the Board of Elections by calling (607) 687-8218 or visit www.tiogacountyny.com/departments/board-of-elections/ for more information.

You may also submit your voter application form at the Department of Motor Vehicles, and on their website if you already have DMV-issued identification.

You can request a New York State Voter Registration form by mail by entering your name directly into the mailing list database at www.elections.ny.gov/VoterRegSite/VoterRegistration.

You can call the 1-800-FOR-VOTE hotline to request a voter application.

To register to vote, a New Yorker must be a United States citizen; be 18 years old (you may pre-register at 16 or 17 but cannot vote until you are 18); be a resident of this state and the county, city or village for at least 30 days before the election; not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction (unless parolee pardoned or restored rights of citizenship); not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court; and not claim the right to vote elsewhere.