Election Day · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
How to vote in New York
The deadlines, early voting, mail ballots and ID rules for New York, and what happens after the polls close. Every fact links to the New York State Board of Elections or the law it comes from. Rules change, and courts sometimes change them close to an election, so confirm anything you are relying on with the state.
Checked against official sources on October 7.
Key dates
- Register online by
Not confirmed yet — check with the New York State Board of Elections.
- Register by mail by
Saturday, October 24
Received by the board of elections by October 24. The statute (Election Law 5-210(3)) also accepts forms postmarked by the 15th day before the election (October 19) and received by the 10th day.
- Register in person by
Saturday, October 24
At your county board of elections or a participating state agency.
- Same-day registration
No
No Election Day registration in New York.
- Early voting
Saturday, October 24 to Sunday, November 1
- How early voting works
Nine days of in-person early voting, October 24 through November 1. Hours are set by each county board of elections. Outside New York City you may vote at any early voting center in your county; New York City voters are assigned one site.
- Request a mail ballot by
Saturday, October 24
Received by your county board of elections 10 days before the election. In person: until the day before the election (November 2).
- Return your mail ballot by
Tuesday, November 3
By mail: postmarked by November 3 and received by November 10. In person: at the county board of elections or any poll site in your county by 9 p.m. on Election Day, or at an early voting site October 24–November 1. A ballot with no postmark counts if the board time-stamps it the day after the election (Election Law 8-412).
- Election Day polling hours
6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Voting by mail
- Who can vote by mail
Any voter can vote by mail
Any registered voter may apply for an early mail ballot. A separate absentee ballot requires a reason (absence from the county, illness or disability, caregiving, VA hospital, or jail for a non-felony).
- Drop boxes
Yes
Ballots in a drop box before polls close count as received on time; boards close every drop box at the close of polls (Election Law 8-412).
- Ballots arriving after Election Day
Yes
Postmarked by Election Day and received within 7 days (by November 10).
ID at the polls
- The rule
Not confirmed yet — check with the New York State Board of Elections.
When will we know results in New York?
How fast results come in depends mostly on when the polls close and when election officials are allowed to start on mail ballots. Totals shown on election night are unofficial until the state certifies them.
- Last polls close
9 p.m. Eastern time
- Mail ballots can be processed from
Friday, September 18
Rolling: boards review each mail ballot envelope within 4 days of receiving it (Election Law 9-209(2)). Ballots go out starting 46 days before the election (September 18), so review can begin soon after.
- Mail ballots can be counted from
Sunday, November 1
After polls close on the last day of early voting, boards scan the valid mail ballots received so far. Boards may start tabulating the scanned ballots one hour before polls close on Election Day, but nothing may be released until polls close; those totals go into the election-night count (Election Law 9-209).
- Counties finish their count by
Wednesday, November 18
Computed: county boards must finish the recanvass within 15 days after the general election (Election Law 9-208(1)).
- State certifies results
Tuesday, December 15
The State Board of Canvassers meets on or before December 15 in a non-presidential year (Election Law 9-216(2)).
- Automatic recount
margin of 0.5% or 20 votes or less
A full manual recount is required when the margin is 20 votes or less, 0.5% or less, or under 5,000 votes in a contest with at least one million ballots cast (Election Law 9-208(4)).
- Votes needed to pass a ballot measure
A simple majority
Simple majority: a constitutional amendment takes effect if approved by a majority of voters voting on it (N.Y. Const. art. XIX §1).
What’s on your ballot
Every contest you will vote on, from Congress to school board, with each candidate’s positions and record and the arguments for and against them.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at New York State Board of Elections.