Register and Vote sign in Union Square, photo by Robin L. Frankel
Voter registration is regulated at the state level and states vary in their requirements. For NY voters, you must be at least 18 years old, a US citizen, who is not a felon, have lived at the same address for at least 30 days, and be mentally competent.
Prof. Claudia Halbac, of CUNY Baruch’s Political Science department, says that these restrictions do not necessarily exclude the homeless or people with developmental disabilities such as Down’s syndrome.
“A homeless person can register a shelter or even a specific street corner as their address as long as they’ve lived there for 30 days. [As for] mental competence, it’s only an issue if you’ve been hospitalized because of it or been found mentally incompetent by a judge.”
If you have a driver’s license and a social security number, registering is a simple as signing up on the DMV’s web site.
Otherwise, you have to go to the DMV in person and wait in line.
However, if you want to vote in NY’s upcoming primary on Tuesday, April 19th, you have to act quickly because the deadline is March 25th.
NY State has closed primaries which means that only registered Democrats can vote in the Democratic Primary and only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican Primary – Independents can’t vote in either.
Some people choose to register in the party of the person they like the most so that they can vote for their favorite come Election Day. Some other people, choose to register for the opposition party so that they can vote for their least hated candidate in the event of the other side winning the General Election.
Whichever side you choose, Prof. Halbac says that NY makes it a hassle to change your mind. “You have to fill out a form and go in person to change parties. The deadline to change in time for this year’s primary passed on October 9, 2015.”
Because voter registration is regulated by the states, you may register in only one state at the same time. If you are already registered in another state, you must notify your old election office and re-register in NYS in order to vote in NY’s primary.
As for people with felony convictions who want to vote, they should have hope, Prof. Halbac says, because “the US has such a high incarceration rate including [non-violent] drug offenses,” people are calling on the government to get rid of this restriction.