Guide to Voting by Absentee Ballot in New York City
League of Women Voters of the City of New York
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
APPLY ONLINE ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
APPLY USING THE PAPER APPLICATION .................................................................................................................................... 5
WHO MAY APPLY FOR AN ABSENTEE BALLOT? ....................................................................................................................... 7
INFORMATION FOR MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS: ..................................................................................................... 7
WHERE AND WHEN TO RETURN YOUR APPLICATION: ......................................................................................................... 7
OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO YOU IF YOU HAVE AN ILLNESS OR DISABILITY: ..................................................................... 7
WHEN YOUR BALLOT WILL BE SENT: .......................................................................................................................................... 7
Introduction
In NY State, to vote by absentee ballot, registered voters should take the following steps:
1. Apply for an absentee ballot through the Board of Elections (BOE). For the Nov. 2, 2021
General Election, the deadline is Oct. 18, 2021 to apply by mail, online, email, or fax, but please
leave extra time! You may apply in person until the day before Election Day, Nov. 1, 2021.
2. Wait to receive the ballot. Ballots will be mailed beginning on/after Sep. 18, 2021
3. When the ballot arrives, follow instructions carefully to complete it (LWVNYC will provide
guidance after the ballots are available)
4. To return the ballot:
a. Mail it via USPS to the BOE in your borough OR
b. Hand deliver it to the BOE in your borough (yourself or through a trusted source) OR
c. Hand deliver it to any poll site in your borough during Early Voting or on Election Day
(yourself or through a trusted source)
• Even if you apply for an absentee ballot and vote by absentee ballot, you may still vote at a poll site
on Election Day or during Early Voting.
• NY State requires an “excuse” in order to vote by absentee ballot. Legislation was just signed into law
that allows any voter to use “temporary illness” as an excuse to request their absentee ballot (applies from
2020-2022).
There are a number of ways to apply that are described on the NYC BOE website vote.nyc:
Apply Online
Here, first we walk you through the process for applying on-line and then second for applying using
the paper form.
To apply on-line, go to nycabsentee.com, which takes you to the page:
Click on:
Which take you to https://nycabsentee.com/absentee:
Use the same name and address as that appears on your voter registration.
Enter your information and click on Continue,, then on the next page the top part looks like this:
Followed by your personal information:
Personal information is listed here
And the bottom part looks like this:
Notes:
• You may check the box “Temporary illness or physical disability” if the reason for requesting an
absentee ballot is that you are “affected/potential of COVID19”
• Most people will ask to have the ballot mailed to them, and the address does not need to be the same
as the one on your registration. It is an option to pick up the ballot yourself at the Board of Elections, or
to authorize someone to pick it up for you.
• We encourage applicants to include their telephone number and/or email address in case the Board of
Elections needs to reach them in order to process the application.
Verify that you are not a robot, certify that you are qualified and registered to vote, and hit Submit
Apply Using the Paper Application
Next, we show you how to fill out the paper version of the Absentee Ballot Application, shown on the
next page. Instructions follow.
Instructions for filling out the application:
Q1. You may check the box “Temporary illness or physical disability” if the reason for requesting an absentee
ballot is that you are “affected/potential of COVID19”
Q2. Check which elections you are requesting absentee ballots for.
Q3. Use the same name as that appears on your voter registration.
Q4. We encourage applicants to include their telephone number and/or email address in case the Board of
Elections needs to reach them in order to process the application.
Q5. Use the address that appears on your voter registration.
Q6 and Q7. Most people will ask to have the ballot mailed to them, and the address does not need to be the
same as the one on your registration. It is an option to pick up the ballot yourself at the Board of Elections, or
to authorize someone to pick it up for you.
Q8. Make sure you sign and date. This signature will be compared to the one on file on your voter
registration.
The fillable English language Absentee Ballot Application is available at both the Board of Elections websites
for both NY State and NYC. These sites also contain links to applications in Spanish (both NYC and NYS), and
in Korean, Chinese, and Bengali (NYC only). The English language application is available here and on P.2 of
this Guide, but that form is not fillable. Absentee Ballot Applications may also be picked up at the Board of
Elections offices, shown on P.
NYC Board of Elections Locations:
Instructions about applying more generally (from P. 2 of the Absentee ballot application)
Who may apply for an absentee ballot?
Each person must apply for themselves. It is a felony to make a false statement in an application for an
absentee ballot, to attempt to cast an illegal ballot, or to help anyone to cast an illegal ballot.
Information for military and overseas voters:
If you are applying for an absentee ballot because you or your family are in the military or because you
currently reside overseas, do not use this application. You are entitled to special provisions if you apply using
the Federal Postcard Application. For more information about military/overseas voting, contact your local board
of elections or refer to the Military and Federal Voting sections
Where and when to return your application:
Applications must be mailed seven days before the election, or hand-delivered to your county board of
elections by the day before the election; If the address of your county board of elections is not provided on
this form, contact information for your local election office can be found on the New York State Board of
Elections’ website, under “County Boards of Election” directory”
Options available to you if you have an illness or disability:
If you check the box indicating your illness or disability is permanent, once your application is ap- proved you
will automatically receive a ballot for each election in which you are eligible to vote, without having to apply
again/ You may sign the absentee ballot application yourself, or you may make your mark and have your mark
witnessed in the spaces provided on the bottom of the application. Please note that a power of attorney or
printed name stamp is not allowed for any voting purpose.
When your ballot will be sent:
Your absentee ballot materials will be sent to you at least 32 days before federal, state, county, city or town
elections in which you are eligible to vote. If you applied after this date, your ballot will be sent immediately
after your completed and signed application is received and processed by your local board of elections. If you
provide dates in section 2, identifying the time frame within which you will be absent from your county or from
the City of New York, you will be sent a ballot for any primary, general, special election or presidential primary
election which might occur during the time frame you have specified. If you prefer, you may designate
someone to pick up your ballot for you, by completing the required information in section 6 and, or section 7, as
appropriate/ contact your local county board of elections if you have not received your ballot.
