Vote by Mail in New York City

To vote by mail you must request a mail ballot from the Board of Elections. The deadline to request a mail ballot is 10 days before an election.

When you go to apply for a mail ballot, you’ll see three types of ballots:

1. Early Mail Ballot - Any registered voter can apply for an early mail ballot in New York State.
2. Absentee Ballot - Before we had Early Mail Ballots in New York, we only had Absentee Ballots, for which you need to provide a valid reason for being unable to vote in-person. You can still request an Absentee Ballot and provide such a reason, but functionally, an Absentee Ballot works the same as an Early Mail Ballot.
3. Accessible Ballot - If you have a disability that interferes with reading, writing, or the use of printed materials, you can apply for an accessible ballot, which can be read by a screen reader.

There are a few ways to apply for a mail ballot:

Online

You can request a mail or accessible ballot from the NYC Board of Elections website. It takes less than two minutes.

Request an Early Mail Ballot Online

Request an Absentee Ballot Online

Request an Accessible Ballot Online

By Mail

You can also fill out a paper request form and mail it to your local NYC Board of Elections office.

Early mail and absentee request forms are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Bengali from the City BOE's site.

Phone

You can also call the NYC Board of Elections to ask them to send you a ballot request form. Call 1-866-VOTE-NYC (1-866-868-3692).

Once your mail ballot has arrived, it's time to cast your vote!

1. Use a blue or black pen.
2. Make your choices for each office and fill in the bubble next to each choice.
3. Sign and date the outside of the security envelope.
4. Seal the security envelope.
5. Place the Security Envelope in the larger return envelope which has the return address of your Board of Elections along with a logo on its front which reads: “Official Election Mail”.
6. Seal the Return Envelope.
7. Find a mailbox and drop it in there. No postage needed!

You can return your mail ballot by mailing it to the NYC Board of Elections or dropping it off at a ballot box.

Mail in your ballot

• Your ballot must be postmarked by Election Day. We recommend mailing it in as soon as possible!
• Return postage is prepaid. You do not need to add a stamp.

Drop off your ballot

• You can drop your ballot in a ballot box at any poll site or Board of Elections office by Election Day.
• You do not need postage to drop off your ballot.

Find your poll siteFind your nearest Board of Elections office

You can track your ballot from the Board of Elections. The ballot tracker will let you know the status of your ballot after you submit a request. It will also let you know if the Board of Elections has received your completed ballot and whether it’s valid.

Track Your ballot

The Board of Elections is required to notify you if there is a fixable error on your ballot envelope, such as a missing or incorrect signature.

If there is a fixable error on your ballot, they will contact you by mail, email, and phone (if available) within one day of discovering the error. You will then have a minimum of five days to correct the error by returning a signed affirmation.