The stakes are high this primary election season as New Yorkers cast votes for candidates in their political party who will become their nominees in the November general election. Since most parts of the state are dominated by one party or the other, for many races victory in the primary is tantamount to winning in November. In fact, in districts where incumbents are running unopposed, there’s no primary at all.
Primary voters will be choosing their party’s nominees for governor and lieutenant governor, state comptroller, attorney general and all 63 State Senate seats, all 150 State Assembly seats. The state has 26 seats in the federal House of Representatives; of these, 10 will be on the primary ballot.
There are several contested congressional races this year, giving many New York voters a choice among multiple candidates competing for their parties’ nomination to represent their district in the House of Representatives. A full list of the contested races and their districts can be found here.
Whether you plan on voting early or on election day, here are the key dates and deadlines you need to know.
Jump ahead:
- New York state primary election deadlines
- November general election deadlines
- Where is my polling site?
- How do I register to vote?
- What’s on my ballot?
- Identification requirements for registering and voting
- Voting rights for people with convictions for felonies
- How do I know what district I’m in?
- How can I find out if my polling site is accessible? What about language access?
- For more information
Key dates for New York state primary election
It is a closed primary, meaning you have to be registered to a political party to vote. For registered voters, the deadline to change your political party enrollment was Feb. 14. Any party registration changes made after that date will not take effect until June 30. If you are not registered with a political party, you cannot vote in the primary and will have to wait for the November general election to cast your ballot.
New voter registration primary election deadline: June 13
Last day to request mail-in ballot online or by mail: June 13
Last day to apply in person at your county board of elections for an absentee ballot: June 22
Mail-in ballot postmark deadline: June 23
Early voting period: June 13 to June 21
Election Day: June 23
Key deadlines for the November general election
In November, voters will choose New York’s governor and lieutenant governor, state comptroller and attorney general, as well as their state senator, state assembly member and U.S. congressional representative.
New voter registration deadline: Oct. 24
Last day to request mail-in ballot online or by mail: Oct. 24
Last day to apply in person at your county board of elections for an absentee ballot: Nov. 2
Mail-in ballot postmark deadline: Nov. 3
Early voting period: Oct. 24 to Nov. 1
Election Day: Nov. 3
Where is my polling site?
- Find your polling site and view your ballot here. Note: Your early voting site may differ from your election day site.
How do I register to vote?
- You can register to vote in person, online or by mail. The New York City Board of Elections (NYCBOE) has instructions here.
- Requirements to register to vote in NYC:
- Citizen of the U.S., including those born in Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands
- NYC resident for at least 30 days
- Cannot claim the right to vote anywhere outside NYC
- Cannot be in prison for a felony conviction
- Cannot be deemed mentally incompetent by a court
- Be 18 years old on or before Election Day.
- A person who is at least 16 years old and who is otherwise qualified may preregister to vote and will be automatically registered when they turn 18.
- You can check your registration status here.
What’s on my ballot?
- Head over to findmypollsite.vote.nyc. There, you can enter your address and see which offices are up for election, as well as view a sample ballot.
Identification requirements for registering and voting
- For voter registration application:
- Acceptable IDs on your application: driver’s license number, non-driver’s ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security number.
- Registered voters will not need to show an ID to vote unless they did not provide identification when they initially registered.
- First-time voters need to provide identification either with or on their voter registration application. NYCBOE says that if you don’t have an ID by Election Day, you are still able to vote via affidavit ballot.
- If you don’t give the last four digits of your Social Security number or your driver’s license number on the registration form, you can include a copy of the following on your registration application:
- Current and valid photo ID
- Current utility bill
- Bank statement
- Paycheck or government check
- Government document that shows name and address
Voting rights for people with convictions for felonies
- People convicted of misdemeanors can vote even if they are serving time in jail.
- If you are in jail for a misdemeanor or awaiting trial, you can vote.
- People who are incarcerated for a felony cannot vote, but you can vote if your sentence is suspended.
- If you are convicted of a felony and released from prison, you can vote if you re-register.
- If you have a federal felony conviction or a conviction in another state, you can still vote in New York.
- People who are on parole or probation still have the right to vote.
- More information for people with a criminal history can be found here.
How do I know what district I’m in?
Every household is located within four different types of districts in New York State: Congressional, State Senate, State Assembly and City Council, though City Council races are not part of this election cycle. And then there’s your Election District number, which you can find on your sample ballot online or your voter information mailer. At a voting site, the poll workers checking you in will have your Election District number and Assembly district number.
The easiest way to find your districts is to enter your address at findmypollsite.vote.nyc
Congressional districts
- Federal-level districts are used to elect members of Congress. These are redrawn every decade based on the federal Census. There are 26 congressional districts in New York. All seats are up for vote in 2026.
New York State Senate districts
- State-level districts are used to elect members of the NYS Senate. There are 63 state senate districts. More info on these races can be found here.
NYS Assembly districts
- State-level districts are used to elect members of the NYS Assembly. There are 150 assembly districts. More info on these races can be found here.
How can I find out if my polling site is accessible? What about language access?
According to Vote NYC, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Unit ensures poll sites throughout the five boroughs are accessible to all voters, but the Center for Independence of the Disabled New York says “just getting in the door at neighborhood poll sites remains a significant barrier to voting for people with disabilities.”
Whether you or a loved one has mobility issues or speaks limited English, there is supposed to be support available. More information can be found here.
- Ballot marking devices are available at polling sites. These are helpful to voters who are visually impaired, blind or have a condition or disability that makes it hard or impossible to mark a ballot with a pen. These devices allow voters to listen to their choices through headphones, translate the ballot into additional languages or see their ballot on a display screen.
- The four ways these devices allow you to mark your ballot are:
- Rocker paddle
- Sip and puff device
- Keypad (Braille)
- Touch screen
- The four ways these devices allow you to mark your ballot are:
- The NYC Board of Elections has more info on these devices.
- Accessible absentee ballots are also available and can be requested here.
- Legally, NYC ballots and voting materials are required to be translated into Bengali, Korean, Spanish and Chinese at certain polling sites. There are also interpreters available at some sites who speak Arabic, Russian, Haitian Creole and Yiddish. To find which sites offer translators visit here.
- Those who need language assistance can also bring their own interpreter. More information can be found here.
For more information:
Vote NYC offers answers to other common election questions here.
