Voting, Step By Step
Election Law § 5-102 — a citizen, eighteen by election day, and thirty days a resident
Who may register. A person is qualified to register and vote if a citizen of the United States, eighteen years of age or over on the day of the election, and a resident of the state and of the county, city or village for a minimum of thirty days before it.
President. The durational residency requirement does not prevent otherwise qualified citizens from voting for president and vice president.
Pre-registration at sixteen. A person at least sixteen years of age who is otherwise qualified may pre-register, and is automatically registered upon reaching the age of eligibility.
Schools. Boards of education, charter schools and nonpublic schools adopt policies promoting student registration and pre-registration, and completing a form may not be a course requirement or a graded assignment.
At the DMV. Registration and enrollment may be applied for together with an application for a driver's license, a renewal, or an identification card, on a form that states the eligibility requirements and is signed under penalty of perjury.
Registration deadlines, early voting and absentee ballots are set in other sections and are not on this page. A particular registration is a question for the county board of elections, or a licensed New York attorney.
Sources for this section (3)
- Election Law § 5-102 — Qualifications of voters; age and residence
- Election Law § 5-212 — Motor vehicle registration
- Election Law § 5-507 — Voter pre-registration and education on voter pre-registration
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed New York attorney.