Frequently Asked Questions

 

Look up your registration here:

https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/

Please note that the lookup system requires an exact data match to your voter registration record.

Votes cast on Ulster County voting systems are protected from interference and there are numerous ballot reconciliation processes that are undertaken to ensure that your vote is protected.  Before any election event extensive pre testing of the voting system occurs.  After each election a hand count audit is conducted with a random sample of 3% of voting systems to determine that the paper ballots match the figures reported on the tape.  No voting systems are connected to the internet to allow for vote tally manipulation and security seals lock essential components of the system.  All paper ballots must be accounted for by election inspectors and reconciled at the end of each election event before an election can be officially certified. Voters are invited to observe the programming, testing and auditing process of all voting systems; interested persons should contact the Board of Elections to get more information.

All felons who have been released and are not currently serving time are entitled to register to vote.

You may not register or vote, if you have been convicted
of a felony and for that felony:

  • You are currently incarcerated

You may register and vote if you were convicted of a
felony and for that felony:

  • You were sentenced to probation;
  • You are on parole;
  • You were not sentenced to incarceration or your prison sentence was
    suspended;
  • You have served your maximum prison sentence; in which case you are
    able to re-register to vote
  • You were on parole and then discharged, in which case you are able to
    re-register to vote

Yes. New York State law allows a voter up to two hours with pay to leave work and vote. More information is here:

https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/TimeOffToVoteNotice.pdf

 

No. Once you register, you are permanently registered unless:

  • You are purged from the system (A voter in inactive status who does not vote in two consecutive Federal Elections is in the fifth year, removed from the list of register. The voter must re-register in order to vote.)
  • Incarcerated, and serving time for a felony.  Your voting rights are returned once you are released regardless of previous felony conviction, but you must complete a new registration form.
  • Adjudged mentally incompetent by a court.

Name, address or party enrollment changes can be made by submitting a new registration application. If you move, you should notify the Board of Elections as soon as possible, by re-registering. If the Board of Elections receives notice at least twenty days before a Primary, Special or General election, it must complete the change of address before the election.

Yes! Click here for the Ulster County College Student Guide to Voting

To request an application for an absentee ballot:

To check the status of your absentee ballot request

http://vic.ntsdata.com/ulsterboe/absenteestatuscheck.aspx

Make it a habit to complete your absentee application at the same time as
you are packing at the end of Summer to ensure you are able to meet all the
absentee request deadlines.

To request an absentee ballot you may apply for one in any of the following ways:

Visit our Office (address below)- Paper copies are available at the front desk and during the 45 day window prior to each election event you can receive your ballot and turn it in (or mail it at a later date)

Complete a Paper Application and mail or deliver in person – you can find several versions, including Spanish, Handicapped Accessible, web fillable, etc. on our Absentee Page.

Complete a request using the Online Absentee Portal – Probably the quickest and easiest way.  No separate application is necessary; simply answer the questions and an absentee ballot will be mailed to your preferred address.

Mail your Application to:
Ulster County Board of Elections
79 Hurley Ave, Suite 112
Kingston, NY 12401

Check the status of your absentee ballot request, poll site information, and sample ballots for upcoming elections

To remove a person from the Ulster County voter rolls you will need to mail or email a copy of an obituary or death certificate. You can email scanned documents to: Elections@co.ulster.ny.us or mail documents to:

Ulster BOE, 79 Hurley Ave, Suite 112, Kingston, NY 12401.

The voter registration form should be used as a change of address form. Notices of change of address from registered voters received at least 20 days before a special, primary or general election by a county board of elections must be processed and entered in the records in time for that election. To request a Voter Registration Form:

 

To register you will need:

  • your New York State DMV issued driver license, permit or Non-Driver ID. It must be your most recently issued document – you will need the ID Number and document number (See Sample Documents )
  • the ZIP Code currently on record with the DMV
  • the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number (SSN)

In New York State, most candidates get on the ballot by filing a petition containing a specified number of signatures. The required amount varies, depending on the office sought and whether the candidate is seeking a party nomination or a spot on the ballot as an independent.  Candidates for local town or village office are often nominated at a town caucus.

Please visit our Candidate Information Page or call our office if you have any questions.

Visit the Inspector section of our website for more information about the position and complete an availability survey, or send an email the Board at inspectors@co.ulster.ny.us, or call our office at 845-334-5470 and ask for Michael Quimby or Doug Tyler, Election Inspector Coordinators.

Look up your party enrollment here:

https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/

Please note that the system requires an exact data match to your voter registration file.

You voluntarily enroll in any party by indicating your preference on the voter registration form either while you register to vote, by re-registering, or if you have indicated such a change on an Invalid Affidavit Ballot.

MILITARY/OVERSEAS VOTER APPLICATION:

Click Here for an Application

More information on voting as a Military/Overseas/Federal Overseas Voter:

Your vote is protected through a system of technical and administrative safeguards. For example, the ballot box of the voting machine can only be opened at the beginning of the election, before any votes are cast, and at the close of voting by a bipartisan team of inspectors. When the machine is shut down at the end of the day, only totals show on the tape, not individual votes.

The number assigned to each voter by the inspectors in no way reveals for whom you voted. This sign-in procedure makes it possible to keep an exact record of the number of ballots issued and number of votes cast on the machine, to prevent improper casting of ballots.

Victims of Domestic Violence

N.Y. Election Law (5-508) allows victims of domestic violence to apply for a confidential registration by delivering a sworn statement to their local county Board of Elections stating they are a victim of domestic violence and they wish to have their voter registration record kept confidential because of the threat of physical or emotional harm to themselves or a family or household member. Their voter registration record will be kept separate and apart from other registration records for four years and not be made available for inspection or copying by the public or any other person, except election officials acting within the course and scope of their official duties. Under a separate section of the law (11-306), they can also be excused from going to their polling place to vote and get a special ballot. For further information, please contact your local board of elections for their confidential registration and special ballot procedures.

New York State Statement of Confidential Voter (pdf pdf 138KB)

 

To be removed from the voter rolls in Ulster County an original signature must accompany your written request. Send a personally signed note or letter to:

Ulster BOE, 79 Hurley Ave, Suite 112, Kingston, NY 12401.

The only time that your party enrollment matters is during a Primary Election (June/April in Presidential Election years) to determine which candidate should represent the party on the General Election (November) ballot.  During General and Special Elections all registered voters are entitled to vote for any candidate on the ballot on any party line they are running on, regardless of Party Enrollment.

Jurors are drawn from lists of state taxpayers and licensed drivers as well as from voter registration rolls. Do not give up your right to vote in the hope that you will avoid jury duty. Chances are, if you pay taxes or drive a car, you will still be called. Besides, serving on a jury is a privilege, one that permits you to personally stand up for all Americans’ right to a trial by a jury of their peers.

Signing a petition is an important way to participate in the electoral process.

If you need some help because you are disabled or cannot read the ballot, federal law allows you to have a friend or relative assist you in the privacy booth. Election inspectors at the site are also ready to help you.  All of our polling locations and voting systems are handicapped accessible.  If you are concerned about waiting in line at the poll site due to mobility issues, please go to the front of the line and seating will be provided while you wait for your turn to vote.

NY does not require identification to be presented at the polling location, except in rare circumstances.  The “Help America Vote Act” (HAVA) which was enacted into law in 2002, requires all first-time voters to provide additional identification either on or with the voter registration application, i.e., the driver’s license number, non- driver’s ID number or the last four digits of your social security number. If you do not provide your driver’s license number or the last four digits of your social security number at the time you submit your registration form by mail, you can include a copy of any of the following documentation with your registration application: Current and Valid Photo ID; Current Utility Bill; Bank Statement; Government Check or Paycheck; Government Document that shows Name and Address. If the voter has not provided any of the acceptable forms of identification by the time they vote in an Election event, the voter will not be allowed to vote on the poll site voting system, but will be able to vote by affidavit ballot. The voter will not be denied the right to vote.

There are two ways for a candidate to appear on your November General Election ballot. Candidates may circulate a petition that must be signed by registered members of the political party that they are seeking to represent in the fall contest. By signing a political petition, you are authorizing that candidate or group of candidates to appear on the ballot for that political contest. There are three types of petitions you may be asked to sign. Designating Petitions are for members of a party to “designate” a candidate of slate of candidates. Opportunity to Ballot petitions, which simply state the office, but no named candidate and allows members of the party to have the “Opportunity” to write in the name of a candidate for the named political office. Finally, Independent Petitions are when a candidate or team of candidates choose to create a one-time political party for the purposes of appearing on the November ballot. For example, “Friends of Hamlet XYZ” or “People for Green Trees.”

Only enrolled party members living within the appropriate district may sign petitions for candidates who seek their party’s nomination. However, any registered voter living within the appropriate district may sign a petition for a candidate seeking to run as an independent in the general election as long as they have not already signed on behalf of another candidate.

If you will be out of town on Primary, General, Special Election day, during the nine days of Early Voting prior to each election, or are physically unable to go to the polls, you can vote by absentee ballot. Click here English or Spanish Absentee Ballot Applications:

If you are not on the poll-list, ask the inspector to verify that you are at the proper table for your address. If you believe that you are eligible, you are entitled to vote. You can obtain a court order or complete an affidavit ballot. Please review the Voters Bill of Rights for further instruction.  At any time you can also call the main Board of Elections number at (845)334-5470 where staff can access the main voter registration system and research the case.

Download NYS Voter’s Bill of Rights

Affidavit ballots will be reviewed after the election by the Board of Elections. Your vote will be counted if you are indeed eligible to vote and are at the correct poll site. If not, you will receive a notice that you are not eligible, along with a registration application for future elections.

There are two ways for a candidate to appear on your November General Election ballot. Candidates may circulate a petition that must be signed by registered members of the political party that they are seeking to represent in the fall contest.

For some local elections, your Town may participate in a Party Caucus to determine local candidates for office. All registered members of that political party in that geographic jurisdiction are eligible to participate in determining their party nominee.

Party caucus notices are uploaded to our website under the Candidate Information page.

Each year, the New York State Board of Elections designates the annual political calendar which will set a series of significant, uniform dates that apply across the state of New York, such as when voter registration deadlines must be met, set the dates for General, Primary and Early Voting elections, absentee voting timetables, and financial disclosure timetables for candidates seeking office. A current Political Calendar can be found here:

Political Calendars

A primary is an election that may take place within each of New York State’s official political parties (i.e. Democratic, Republican, Conservative, or Working Families). It precedes the general election and provides enrolled political party members the opportunity to nominate their party’s candidates for elected office as well as to elect various party officials. For example, three individuals, all members of the same political party, circulated petitions to appear on the November election ballot. A Primary Election is conducted to determine which of these three candidates will represent that position and political party.  State and local Primary Elections are held during the month of June; every four years there can also be a Presidential Primary held during the month of April.

However, if there is no contest, meaning no competition within the political party membership to serve in that position, there is no primary.

The deadline to for the November 5, 2024 General Election is October 26, 2024. Your registration form must be received by the Ulster Board of Elections by October 26, 2024.

Early Voting Center hours of operation vary so please check here for up to date information.  All General Election (“November Elections”) and State & Local Primary Elections conducted each year (“June Elections”) and Presidential Primary Elections (April preceding Presidential Elections) are conducted from 6:00am-9:00pm.

You should receive a notice from the Board of Elections some during the Spring telling you where to vote. It will also indicate your Election District which you need to know on Election Day. You can also call the Ulster Board of Elections at (845) 334-5470 or Click here to use the Online Poll Site Address Locator.

 

 

Primary elections are only for voters registered in the party of the election contest.  Party enrollment changes are effective immediately except during a window of time prior to each June Primary Election.  In 2023, that period is from February 14, 2023 through July 4, 2023.  Any change of party enrollment made between Feb. 15-July 3rd, shall be effective on July 4th.

To change your party enrollment, you must complete a new voter registration form.