Guide: Voting at the polls on Election Day 2022

ALBANY — Most of the voting in the 2022 general election will be on Tuesday, Nov. 8, the traditional Election Day, despite the growing popularity of absentee and early voting. Here are some answers to common questions about voting on Tuesday:

Who may vote?

New Yorkers must be registered with the local county Board of Elections to vote Tuesday. Voters must be 18 or older on or before Tuesday and live at their current address for at least 30 days. New Yorkers may not vote if they have been judged by a court to be mentally incompetent or if they vote elsewhere on Tuesday.

Is it too late to register to vote on Tuesday?

Yes. The deadline was Oct. 14 to mail in a registration to vote Tuesday. Unlike some other states, New York doesn’t allow a resident to register and vote on the same day.

Where do I vote?

The state Board of Elections has an online portal and requires a voter to enter his or her name, county, date of birth and ZIP code. The portal will provide a voter’s “election day poll site.” On Election Day, a voter may only vote at his or her assigned polling site.

When are the polls open?

The polls are open statewide from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday. Nassau voters can call the county Board of Elections at 516-571-VOTE if they have any questions. In Suffolk, the Board of Elections can be reached at 631-852-4500.

What are the races for which I may vote?

The state’s online portal also provides the State Senate, Assembly and congressional district numbers for the voter. Those races will appear on the ballot voters receive on Election Day. Newsday's Voters' Guide also has a lookup for the information.

What do I need to bring to the polls?

A voter under state law doesn’t need to provide identification to vote if he or she has voted before in New York State in past elections. A voter’s signature will be compared to his or her past signatures to verify identity. First-time voters who registered to vote by mail and didn’t provide a copy of their identification at that time may need to show identification to vote on Tuesday. Proper identification shows a voter’s name and address. They include: a current photo ID, a statement from a bank account, a paycheck, a check from state or local government, or a current utility bill.

Voters who seek to cast a ballot for the first time but can’t provide identification may fill out a paper ballot called an affidavit. The affidavit ballot will be examined after Election Day by Democratic and Republican election officials to determine if it meets the legal criteria to be counted.

If I vote for a candidate under their minor party ballot line, will it still count?

Yes. New York State allows “fusion voting.” That means a voter may choose a candidate from a major party, but vote on any additional minor ballot line the candidate may have secured, such as the Conservative Party line or the Working Families Party line. Votes for a candidate under his or her major and minor party lines are added together.

What happens if I already mailed in or dropped off an absentee ballot?

This year, voters are no longer permitted to cast a ballot on a voting machine if they already have received an absentee ballot, according to the state Board of Elections. A voter may complete a paper ballot called an affidavit ballot if there is a dispute. If the completed absentee ballot has been received by the voter’s county Board of Elections, the absentee ballot will be counted and the affidavit ballot won’t. If no absentee ballot is received by the county Board of Elections before the deadline to receive absentee ballots, the affidavit ballot will count.

May I get time off from work to vote?

Yes. State law allows employees to take as much as two hours off from work without loss of pay if they don’t have time to vote within the hours the polls are open. A worker is considered under law to have enough time to vote if he or she has four consecutive hours off from work during polling hours, which are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The employer may designate that the employee take the time at the beginning or end of the employee’s shift. To take time off under this law, the employee must notify the employer between two and 10 days before the election.

Will I get help in using the voting machine?

Poll workers may instruct voters in how to fill in their ballots and how to submit them to a voting machine for counting. Voters will fill in their ballots in a private booth or area and secrecy of the choices is maintained in submitting the vote to the machine.

What do I do if I feel intimidated or some other concern at the polling place?

The state Attorney General’s Office has an election protection hotline at 866-390-2992. Written complaints can be filed by email to election.hotline@ag.ny.gov.

You may also report concerns to a poll watcher. Local police are in frequent contact with poll site officials.

The state Attorney General’s Office said the following conduct may be illegal voter intimidation: individuals or groups patrolling outside of polling places to scare people from voting; civilians dressed as law enforcement officers harassing voters; poll watchers delaying votes or creating fear that votes may be illegal; making false statements about consequences of voting; displaying weapons or military uniforms or “other military paraphernalia outside of polling locations;” and threats of violence or economic boycotts due to voting. Prohibited by law are militias at polling places, open carrying of firearms, or invading the privacy of a voter while voting.

When will I know the results of voting?

State and county boards of election will report unofficial results of voting done on Tuesday and during nine days of early voting. The results will be made public Tuesday night. However, the counting of thousands of absentee ballots and affidavit ballots will take several days to verify and count. That could delay release of final, official results in close races by more than a week.

The state Board of Elections results will be reported on the state's website. Suffolk County results will be posted on the state site because of continuing difficulties with the county’s computer network after a September cyberattack. The Nassau County Board of Elections also will provide results for the county races.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.