Yates County Democratic Committee

VOTING GUIDE

Qualifications to register to vote
Who Needs to re-register to vote
Upcoming elections and voter registration deadlines
Voting by absentee ballot
How to vote by absentee ballot
Military Voting
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Need Additional Help?

QUALIFICATIONS TO REGISTER TO VOTE:

To qualify to vote, you must:

Be a U.S. citizen;
be 18 years old by December 31 of the year in which you file this form (note: you must be 18 years old by the date of the general, primary or other election in which you want to vote);
live at your present address at least 30 days before an election;
not be in jail or on parole for a felony conviction; not claim the right to vote elsewhere.

WHO NEEDS TO RE-REGISTER TO VOTE::

You will need to re-register to vote if you have:

changed your address;
changed your name;
changed your party affiliation;
NOT voted in the last two (2) presidential elections.

UPCOMING ELECTIONS AND VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINES

Primary Election - September 18, 2007: To vote in the 2007 primary election, voter registration forms must be postmarked on or before August 24, 2007 and received by a board of election on or before August 29, 2007.

General Election - November 6, 2007: To vote in the general election, voter registration forms must be postmarked on or before October 12, 2007 and received on or before October 17, 2007.

Presidential Primary Election - February 5, 2008: To vote in the 2008 presidential primary election, voter registration forms must be postmarked on or before January 11, 2008 and received by a board of election on or before January 16, 2008.

QUALIFICATION TO VOTE BY ABSENTEE BALLOT

unavoidably absent from your county on Election Day;
unable to appear at the polls due to illness or disability;
a patient in a Veterans' Administration Hospital ;
detained in jail awaiting Grand Jury action or confined in prison after conviction for an offense other than a felony.

HOW TO VOTE BY ABSENTEE BALLOT

Applications for Absentee Ballots are available at the Yates County Board of Elections. The office is located in the County Office Building, 417 Liberty Street, Penn Yan. Walk in the front door, and the Board of Elections is the first office on the right.
You may also download an Absentee Ballot Application by clicking HERE.
Upon completion, applications must be mailed to the Yates County Board of Elections no later than the seventh day before the election or delivered in person no later than the day before the election.
Yates County Board of Elections Address: 417 Liberty Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527
You may also request an Absentee Ballot by sending a letter to the Yates County Board of Elections. The letter must be received no later than seven days before the election. The letter must contain the following information:
- the address where you are registered
- an address where the ballot is to be sent
- the reason for the request, and
- the signature of the voter
  An application form will be mailed with your ballot. The application form must be completed and returned with your ballot.
If you are permanently ill or disabled, you have the right to receive an Absentee Ballot for each subsequent election without further application. Simply file an application with the board of elections containing a statement which describes the particulars of your illness or disability.

MILITARY VOTING

Persons serving in the military may vote from their designated 'home of record', regardless of where they may be stationed or for how long. If that home of record is in New York, you may register and vote in local, state and federal elections by completing an application and sending it to the board of elections in your 'home of record' county. Your application will register you and also serve as your absentee ballot application, and will be valid for 2 federal elections. Applications are available from your Voting Assistance Officer on base, or you can visit www.elections.state.ny.us or contact the Yates County Board of Elections for more information. Always be sure to share any change of address information with your Board of Elections.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I register to vote?

You may register at the Yates County Board of Elections or any state agency participating in the National Voter Registration Act on any business day throughout the year. Alternatively, you can download a Voter Registration form (Click HERE to download) and mail it to the Yates County Board of Elections, 417 Liberty Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527.

How do I change my name and address?

Complete the Voter Registration Form with the new information, and mail it to the Yates County Board of Elections, 417 Liberty Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527. You can obtain a Voter Registration Form from the Yates County Board of Elections or any state agency participating in the National Voter Registration Act on any business day throughout the year or from download the form by clicking HERE.

How do I change my enrollment?

If you wish to change your enrollment from one party to another or from not-enrolled to a party, send a Voter Registration Form with your new choice to the Yates County Board of Elections, 417 Liberty Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527. The board will notify you when the change takes place, by law, after the next general election.

Where do I go to vote?

To obtain your polling location, contact the Yates County Board of Elections - (315) 536 - 5135, email: democraticcommissioner@yatescounty.org.

What hours are polling places open?

PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION - FEBRUARY 5, 2007 - Polls open at 12 noon and close at 9 pm.

PRIMARY ELECTION - SEPTEMBER 18, 2007 - Polls open at 12 noon and close at 9 pm.

GENERAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 6, 2007 - Polls open at 6am and close at 9pm.

NEED ADDITIONAL HELP?

Yates County Board of Elections
417 Liberty Street
Penn Yan, NY 14527
(315)536-5135
Web Site: www.yatescounty.org
democraticcommissioner@yatescounty.org

New York State Board of Elections
40 Steuben Street
Albany , NY 12208-2108
(800) 367-8683
www.elections.state.ny.us

Federal Voter Assistance Program
(800) 438-8683
www.fvap.gov

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