If you are registered to vote in New York City and you are a member of a party that is having a primary election, you can (and should) vote on September 13th.

Registered voters usually get a notice in the mail in August from the BOE with the address of their polling site. If you didn’t get a notice, you may not be registered in a party, or your party may not be holding any primary races. Call 866-VOTE-NYC to find if and where you should vote.

Fill out a voter registration form and file it in person or by mail with any of the BOE offices. You can pick up a registration form at those offices, call and request one, or download it from the BOE’s Web site, www.vote.nyc.ny.us.

If you move, you must change your address with the BOE by submitting a new voter registration form and checking the box labeled “Address change.” Fill in your new and old address, check off the correct box for the party you wish to be enrolled in (do this even if you were already enrolled in a party), and provide any other requested information. If you moved but you didn’t change your address with the BOE, you may still be able to vote by going to your new polling place and filling out an affidavit ballot that will be available there. However, it is best to update your registration whenever you move.

You are voting for the candidate you believe should receive your party’s nomination for each office on the primary ballot. You can only vote in a primary election held by the party YOU belong to. For example, if you are a registered member of the Working Families Party, you can only vote in Working Families Party primary races, not Democrat or Republican primary races.

Primary races are only held when more than one candidate wants the nomination of a particular party and more than one candidate has successfully completed all the steps to get on the ballot for the primary election. Depending on what party you are enrolled in, there may not be a primary race for every office that is up for election this fall; sometimes only one candidate is seeking your party’s nomination.

If you are not on the poll-list, it may be because your registration form was not received. If you believe that you are eligible, you can still vote. Ask for an affidavit ballot, which is a paper ballot. Take the envelope and the ballot that the pollworker gives you to the cardboard voting booth. Complete the envelope. Mark your votes on the ballot with a pencil or a pen with blue or black ink. The way to vote is to fill in the ovals near your choices. Remember not to use any other markings on the ballot. Fold the ballot and put it in the envelope. Seal the envelope and give it to the pollworker. After the election, the BOE will check its records and your vote will be counted if you are indeed eligible to vote. If not, you will receive a notice that you are not eligible to vote, along with a registration form for future elections.

You can vote by absentee ballot if you are unable to get to your polling place for many reasons, such as being away at school, on vacation, or hospitalized, or if you are disabled. Call 866-VOTE-NYC to find out if you can vote by absentee ballot, and to request an application for an absentee ballot.

To vote by absentee ballot, follow these two steps:

1. File an Absentee Ballot Application. You can have an absentee ballot application mailed to you by calling 866-VOTE-NYC. You can also pick up an application at any of the Board of Elections’ offices, or download and print an absentee ballot application from the BOE’s Web site, www.vote.nyc.ny.us. Fill out the application and mail it or deliver it in person to the BOE office in your borough. For this primary election, completed absentee ballot applications must be postmarked by September 6th or personally delivered to your local BOE office by 5:00 p.m. on September 12th.
2. Send in your Absentee Ballot. If you submit your absentee ballot application in person at your Board of Elections borough office, you will receive your absentee ballot immediately. You can also have it mailed to you. Fill it out and mail or hand deliver it to any of the BOE’s offices. For the primary election, completed absentee ballots must be postmarked by September 12, 2005 or personally delivered to the BOE’s office in your borough by 9:00 p.m. on September 13, 2005.

You can also vote in person ("In Person Absentee Voting") at the BOE’s office in your borough. Absentee voting in person begins as soon as the ballots are available (at least 32 days before an election) and ends on Election Day. It is conducted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and on the weekend before Election Day, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m on Election Day. Call 866-VOTE-NYC for more information.