If you are voting in New York City this year, three questions usually decide whether casting a ballot feels easy or stressful: where is your assigned poll site, when can you vote early, and how do you request and return a mail ballot. The New York City Board of Elections (NYC BOE) sets specific dates, hours, and rules for each, and they are not the same as the rules in surrounding counties. This guide walks through every option for the 2026 elections — the June 23 Primary and the November 3 General — using only NYC BOE and New York State Board of Elections (NYSBOE) sources.
The 2026 NYC election calendar at a glance
NYC BOE has published three citywide elections for 2026: a Special Election on April 28, the Primary Election on Tuesday, June 23, and the General Election on Tuesday, November 3. The Special Election in April has already taken place. As of this article, no early voting period is currently active in New York City. The next early voting period opens Saturday, June 13, 2026 for the June 23 Primary.
For every election, voters in the five boroughs have three legal ways to cast a ballot:
- In person on Election Day at your assigned poll site
- In person during the nine-day Early Voting period
- By early mail ballot or absentee ballot, returned by mail, in person, or via a ballot drop box
Election Day: poll hours and finding your site
On Election Day in New York City, polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Anyone in line at 9:00 p.m. is entitled to vote. Your Election Day poll site is assigned by your registered residential address. Two voters in the same building generally share a site, but voters one block apart can be assigned to different locations.
NYC BOE maintains a poll site locator at vote.nyc. To use it, enter your address; the locator returns your Election Day poll site, your assigned Early Voting site, your Assembly District, your Election District, and your City Council district. The same lookup is available on the NYC Votes site operated by the city Campaign Finance Board.
Your Election Day site can change between elections — usually because a building loses access (a school renovation, for example). NYC BOE recommends checking your poll site every election rather than assuming last year’s site is the same. A mailed Voter Information Notice arrives before each election with your assigned site printed on it, but the locator at vote.nyc is the authoritative source if there is a discrepancy.
Early Voting: dates, hours, and how it differs from Election Day
New York State law gives every voter a nine-day Early Voting period before each scheduled election. For 2026, the New York City Board of Elections has published these Early Voting periods:
- Primary Election Early Voting: Saturday, June 13, 2026 through Sunday, June 21, 2026
- General Election Early Voting: Saturday, October 24, 2026 through Sunday, November 1, 2026
Two rules surprise first-time Early Voters in New York City. First, your Early Voting site is assigned by address and is often not the same building as your Election Day poll site. You must check the locator at vote.nyc to confirm where your Early Voting site is. Second, Early Voting hours are not 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. New York State law sets a minimum of eight hours per day on weekends, between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., and at least one weekday with extended hours. The exact daily schedule is published by NYC BOE before each election; voters should confirm specific hours at vote.nyc rather than rely on prior years.
Early Voting and Election Day count as the same election: you may vote on one day, not both. If you vote early and later try to vote on Election Day, the poll book will record you have already voted and you will not be issued a regular ballot. The same applies if you have already returned a mail ballot.
Mail ballots in New York: the two paths
New York now offers two distinct paths to vote by mail. Both result in a paper ballot mailed to your home, but the legal basis differs.
Early Mail Ballot. Under the Early Mail Voter Act, any registered New York voter may request an Early Mail ballot for any reason. No excuse is required. Apply through NYC BOE at vote.nyc/RequestBallot, by mail, in person at a borough BOE office, or by fax or email. NYC BOE notes that the online application takes under two minutes.
Absentee Ballot. Absentee ballots remain available for voters who meet at least one of the statutory grounds set by New York Election Law. Per the New York State Board of Elections, valid reasons include:
- Being absent from your county on Election Day
- Being unable to appear at the polls due to temporary or permanent illness or disability
- Being unable to appear because you are the primary caregiver for one or more individuals who are ill or physically disabled
- Being a resident or patient of a Veterans Health Administration hospital
- Being detained in jail or prison for any reason other than a felony conviction
If any one of these applies to you, you may use the Absentee path; otherwise, the Early Mail path is the no-excuse option.
Mail ballot deadlines for the June 23 Primary
NYSBOE’s published 2026 deadlines for the Primary Election are:
- Mailed or online portal request for an Early Mail or Absentee ballot: must be received by your county Board of Elections no later than Saturday, June 13, 2026.
- In-person request at a Board of Elections office: must be received no later than Monday, June 22, 2026 — the day before Election Day.
- Return of voted ballot: must be postmarked, dropped at any New York City poll site or BOE office, or returned in person no later than Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
- Postmarked ballots must arrive at the Board of Elections by Tuesday, June 30, 2026, to be counted.
Three return options exist for a New York City mail ballot. Drop it in any USPS mailbox (no postage required — the return envelope is prepaid). Hand it to a poll worker at any Early Voting site or any Election Day poll site in New York City. Or place it in the secure ballot drop box at any borough BOE office. NYC BOE confirms voters do not need postage and may use any poll site, not only their assigned one, to drop a sealed mail ballot.
Voter registration deadlines for 2026
To vote in the June 23 Primary, your registration application must be received by a New York Board of Elections no later than Saturday, June 13, 2026. The General Election registration deadline is published separately by NYSBOE; voters should confirm the exact date at elections.ny.gov/registration-and-voting-deadlines.
Eligibility is the same for both elections: U.S. citizen, 18 years old by the date of the next general election, a resident of New York City for at least 30 days before the election, and not currently in prison for a felony conviction. New Yorkers may register online through the New York State DMV site if they have a state-issued ID, or by submitting a paper form by mail to their borough’s BOE office.
What to bring to the poll site
New York is not a strict photo-ID state. First-time voters who registered by mail and did not provide identification at the time of registration are asked to bring identification with them: a current and valid photo ID, or a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check, or other government document showing the voter’s name and address. If a voter does not have ID, they may still cast a ballot — it will be cast as an affidavit ballot and counted after the BOE verifies registration.
Returning voters who are already in the poll book are not required to show ID at any New York City poll site. A poll worker will ask the voter to sign next to their pre-printed signature on file. If the signatures do not match closely enough, the poll worker may ask follow-up questions or offer an affidavit ballot.
Accessibility and language assistance
Every New York City poll site is required to provide an accessible voting machine — a Ballot Marking Device — that supports an audio-tactile interface, sip-and-puff input, paddle input, and adjustable text size. NYC BOE provides language assistance in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Bengali, Hindi, and other covered languages depending on Assembly District, in compliance with Section 203 of the federal Voting Rights Act. A complete list of poll-site languages is published at vote.nyc.
Voters with print disabilities can also request an accessible electronic mail ballot, which can be filled out on a screen reader at home, printed, signed, and returned by mail or to any poll site. The accessible ballot request is made through the same NYC BOE ballot request portal.
If something goes wrong at the poll site
If a poll worker tells you that your name is not in the book, three things can be true. First, you may be at the wrong site — confirm at vote.nyc using the locator. Second, your registration may have lapsed if you moved within the city without updating your address; in that case you can vote an affidavit ballot, which will be counted if the BOE confirms your registration is valid somewhere in the city. Third, there may be a clerical issue at the BOE that an affidavit ballot will surface and resolve.
If you are denied a ballot of any kind, you have the right to call the NYC BOE voter help line at 1-866-VOTE-NYC (1-866-868-3692) and the New York State Attorney General’s election hotline at 1-866-390-2992. Both lines are staffed during voting hours.
Frequently asked questions
Can I vote at any New York City poll site on Election Day?
No. On Election Day, you must vote at the poll site assigned to your registered residential address. If you go to the wrong site you will not be issued a regular ballot, though you may cast an affidavit ballot. Use the locator at vote.nyc to confirm your site.
Can I vote at any Early Voting site?
No. Like Election Day, your Early Voting site is assigned to you by address, and it is often a different building than your Election Day site. Confirm both at vote.nyc before you go.
Do I need a reason to vote by mail in New York?
No. Under the Early Mail Voter Act, any registered New York voter may request an Early Mail ballot for any reason. The Absentee ballot — which still exists alongside Early Mail — does require one of the statutory grounds set in New York Election Law.
When is the deadline to request a mail ballot for the June 23 Primary?
Mail and online portal requests must be received by your county Board of Elections by Saturday, June 13, 2026. In-person requests can be made up to Monday, June 22, 2026.
How do I return my mail ballot in New York City?
You may mail it (no postage required), drop it in the ballot box at any New York City poll site during Early Voting or on Election Day, or bring it to any borough Board of Elections office. The return must be postmarked or in person by Election Day, June 23, 2026, and postmarked ballots must arrive by June 30, 2026, to be counted.
What time do polls open and close on Election Day in NYC?
Polls in New York City are open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Election Day. Anyone in line at 9:00 p.m. is entitled to vote.
What hours is Early Voting open?
Early Voting hours vary by day and are set by NYC BOE before each election. New York State law requires a minimum of eight hours per day on weekends, between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., and at least one weekday with extended hours. Confirm exact hours at vote.nyc.
Do I need to bring ID to vote in New York?
Most returning voters do not need ID. First-time voters who registered by mail without providing ID are asked to bring a current photo ID or a current document showing name and address. If a voter does not have ID, they can still cast an affidavit ballot.
Before you go
The single best step before any New York City election is to spend two minutes at vote.nyc with the poll site locator. It will confirm three things at once: your assigned Election Day site, your assigned Early Voting site, and whether you are still registered at your current address. Every other deadline and detail in this guide flows from that lookup.
Related reading on HelpNewYork: how ranked-choice voting works in NYC, and the broader 2026 polling site, early voting, and mail ballot reference.
Sources: New York City Board of Elections (vote.nyc), New York State Board of Elections (elections.ny.gov), and the New York City Campaign Finance Board (nycvotes.org). All dates and deadlines verified within 24 hours of publication.
