If you want to cast a ballot in this year’s presidential election — or next year’s mayoral primary — October 12 is the last day to register to vote.
New York ranks near the bottom of the country in voter registration; less than 64 percent of eligible residents are registered to vote, ranking the state 47th in the nation.
Click here to find out if you’re registered to vote
To be able to vote in the general elections — which includes president, Congress, Senate and state offices — on November 6, your application must be postmarked no later than Friday, October 12 and received by October 17. You may also register in person at your local Board of Elections or any voter registration center. Change of addresses must also be received by October 17.
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a new initiative in August — online registration — to help increase voter numbers.
According to the governor’s office, registration rates jumped from 28 to 53 percent among voters 18 to 24 in Arizona after online registration was introduced.
Residents can now log on to their computers to register to vote, change their address or update party enrollment.
If you want to register electronically, you can now visit the Department of Motor Vehicle’s “MyDMV” web site. You will also be able to register paper-free at local DMV offices.
Though it is nearly a year away, unregistered voters or those wishing to switch parties have until October 12 if they would like to vote in the 2013 mayoral primary elections. City residents cannot change enrollment and vote in that parties primary in the same year.
The city’s Board of Elections website says, “The last day to change your enrollment is the same as the last day to register for the General Election.”
According to the New York Times, “The law is rooted in the notion that closed primaries should not be raided, at the last minute, by outsiders who may want to pick, say, a weaker candidate to run against their preferred choice in a general election.”
