How do I vote by Absentee Ballot?
Pursuant to N.Y. Election Law § 8-400, Suffolk County voters who wish to vote by absentee ballot may apply:
- Electronically by the New York State Board of Elections Absentee Application Portal at: https://absenteeballot.elections.ny.gov/
- By Mail. Send a signed application or written request to: Suffolk County Board of Elections, PO Box 700, Yaphank, NY 11980. If you do not complete an application and send a letter request instead, please include your name and date of birth, the reason for the request, the address where you are registered and an address where you want the ballot to be sent. (See below for permissible reasons.)
- In Person. Go to the Suffolk BOE at 700 Yaphank Ave., Yaphank, NY 11980 and make a request or complete and submit your application. Depending on availability, you may be able to get a ballot while you wait! Otherwise you can come back the next day to retrieve your ballot or the Board of Elections will mail it to you.
- By Fax. Send a signed application, telefax or other signed writing to 631-852-4590. If you do not complete an application and send a telefax or letter request instead, please include your name and date of birth, the reason for the request, the address where you are registered and an address where you want the ballot to be sent. (See below for permissible reasons.)
If you are an overseas voter or in the military, please go to the below link:
https://www.fvap.gov/guide/chapter2/new-york
Please note effective January 1, 2022, an eligible voter may not cast a ballot on a machine at a poll site after the Board sends an absentee ballot to such voter following a timely request. Regardless of whether the absentee ballot was actually delivered by the postal service or was sent back to the Board, the voter will not be able to vote on a machine at a poll site. The voter may still vote by Affidavit Ballot at the poll site.
How do I register to vote?
You must complete and submit a New York State Registration Form, in person, or by mail to the Suffolk County Board of Elections. This form can be obtained at any post office or library or can be downloaded online from this website. Registration requests cannot be processed online. The Board must receive the original form containing your signature. Emailed copies may not be accepted.
How do I know if I am registered and where to vote?
You can look up your voter registration and polling place on our website. If you are confident you are registered but do not see your name, you should email us at the address noted above and include your full name, address and date of birth. Someone will check our records and respond to you accordingly. If you do not have access to email, you may contact the Board at 631-852-4500.
Am I eligible to vote in a Primary Election?
By law, in order to vote in the Primary of a major political party, you must be duly enrolled in that party.
Please go to https://www.elections.ny.gov/VotingDeadlines.html to obtain enrollment deadlines. Deadlines may be subject to change based upon future Executive Orders so you should periodically check the New York State Board of Elections website.
How do I get a copy of a Voter Registration Card ($5.00 fee)
To receive a copy of your voter registration card, please send your request to us, in writing, at the address below. Be sure to include your full name, address, date of birth, and signature along with where to send your card. You will also need to include a fee of $5.00, made payable to the Suffolk County Board of Elections. You can also request/pay in person by coming to our building in Yaphank.
The Board of Elections normal hours are Monday -Friday 9 am – 4:30 pm. We are located at 700 Yaphank Avenue, Yaphank, NY. Our offices are located 1/4 mile south of the Long Island Expressway (Exit 67) on the east side of the roadway. The public entrance is on the south side of the building.
How do I update my voter information or change my party enrollment?
To update information, please file with the Suffolk County Board of Elections a new New York State Registration form and include any information you wish to update. You can download the form from our website or obtain a form at your local post office or library and also at the Suffolk County Board of Elections.
If you only wish to change your residence address for a move within Suffolk County, you may do so by sending us a letter in lieu of filing a new registration form. Please include your name, address, date of birth, and original signature.
For those voters who relocate WITHIN New York State, if you register to vote in the County of your new residence, Suffolk County will be notified accordingly to remove you as a registered voter in Suffolk County.
Why is my voter status listed as “inactive”?
By law, the Board is required to change your status to “inactive” when our mail to you is returned as undeliverable and when we are notified of a change of address by the US Postal system. Mail sent by the Board may not be forwarded even if you have provided the post office with a forwarding address.
Because the Primary Election has been moved to June, voter mail check cards are sent to voters in April as opposed to August. As a result, it is not uncommon for registered voters who spend the winter months outside of New York to be listed as “inactive.”
To reactivate your registration:
You may either file a new Voter Registration form to update your information or send us a letter with your CURRENT information and address. The letter should include your name, address, date of birth, and original signature.
In the event you are unable to reactivate your registration within the time prescribed by law to enable you to vote by machine in an election, you will be permitted to vote by Affidavit Ballot. The Affidavit Ballot will reactivate your registration if you have not previously done so and your vote will be counted provided you complete the Affidavit Ballot envelope properly.
How will I know if my Affidavit Ballot is not counted?
In the event the law does not permit the Board to open and count an Affidavit Ballot, the Board will send the voter a letter advising that their Affidavit Ballot will not be counted and why.
I am under the age of 18 and registered to vote but I cannot find myself on the Board’s website as being registered.
If you are under the age of 18, the law permits you to “pre-register.” In such event, your registration will not become active until your 18th birthday. Only active registrations will appear on the Board’s website.
You may contact the Board to confirm that we have you listed as pre-registered.
How do I terminate my Suffolk County voter registration?
Please send us a letter requesting that your registration be terminated. Please include your full name, birthdate, former address, and original signature.