The Rally+Rise New York Voter Guide
Just because it’s not a “big election year” doesn’t mean it’s not a big election year.
Because we know that it’s way more than just the president who effects laws, rules, and leadership. And in New York, there are important races across the state—from the headline-grabbing (think: India Walton for Buffalo mayor) to the under-the-radar (think town board members, town justices, and even superintendent of the highways—yes, that’s a real elected position).
And no matter where in the state you live, everyone will have the chance to vote on five proposals that would literally amend the state constitution (NBD).
Here’s what you need to know to get voting in New York this election:
When am I voting?
October 23-October 31 is the early voting period.
November 2 is election day and the deadline to postmark your absentee ballot.
Want to vote early?
Early voting runs from October 23-October 31.
Your early voting location may be different than your election day voting location; you can look it up here.
Want to vote by mail?
All New Yorkers are eligible to vote by absentee ballot this election.
To do so you must first request an absentee ballot—the deadline to postmark an absentee ballot application already passed (it was October 18), and the deadline to apply for one in-person at your county’s Board of Elections office is November 1. If you already requested one and you live in NYC, you can track your absentee ballot.
To return your absentee ballot, you can either
Mail it back in. Postage is not pre-paid for the general election, so you will need ~2 stamps.
Drop it off at your Board of Elections office. If you drop it off, your ballot needs to be in the oath envelope—which you’ll need to sign and date—but does not need postage affixed.
Drop it off at your early voting poll site or your election day poll site—both will have a dropbox at the information table. (In NYC, you can drop it off at any poll site within the five boroughs, FYI!) If you drop it off, your ballot needs to be in the oath envelope—which you’ll need to sign and date—but does not need postage affixed.
If you mail your absentee ballot back in, it must be postmarked by November 2 in order to be counted.
In New York, you can still vote in-person even if you’ve requested or already sent back your absentee ballot—only your in-person vote will count.
The Board of Elections must notify you if there is a problem with your ballot (say, you forgot to sign your ballot). You’ll most likely be receiving either a phone call or email—and once you do, you’ll have five days to “cure” (ie fix) it. So answer those unlisted numbers!
Want to vote on election day?
Poll sites will still be open on election day, despite COVID-19. (But: Wear. A. Mask.) You can find your poll location at your county’s board of elections website.
If you live in NYC, you can look up your poll location here. For anywhere else in the state, you can look up your poll location here.
Who am I voting for?
Want to know what your ballot looks like ahead of time?
You can check out an example (warning: it might not have every single super-local race) at whoseontheballot.org (if you’re in NYC) or ballotpedia.org (everywhere else).
Not sure who to vote for?
Unlike the primary election, our advice for the general election is: When in doubt, vote for the Democrat. Yes, even if you’re voting for mayor in NYC and having a hard time with the thought of voting for Eric Adams.
But if you want to feel confident about your choices, here are a few resources we recommend cross-referencing ahead of time:
Working Families Party’s list of endorsements—they’ve identified progressive candidates across state, for roles from town clerk to tax collector (yes, that’s an elected position in certain places).
DSA national org’s list of endorsements—a short but tight list of left candidates you can get excited about.
Planned Parenthood of Greater NY’s candidate ratings—they’ve got guides for NYC, Hudson Valley, and Nassau county.
Daniel Nichanian’s always-amazing list of races to watch—while it’s for the entire country, New York races pop up a few times on there.
What’s the deal with those five ballot proposals?
No matter where in New York you live, you have the opportunity to vote on five ballot proposals that, if passed, would amend the state’s constitution. To land on the ballot, all of these proposals had to pass the state legislature; voters give it the final stamp of approval before it becomes official. Here’s what you need to know—along with our voting guide for each:
Proposal 1: vote YES!
This one’s a doozy, with a lot packed into one proposal—mostly having to do with redistricting. The good: It would formally end prison gerrymandering in NY, ensure that census counts in the state includes all people (including “non-citizens and Native Americans”), and generally simplify the process. While it could go much further, it’s a step in the right direction.
Proposal 2: vote YES!
The result of years and years of advocacy work by environmental justice activists, this simple proposal has the potential to create a mechanism for combatting environmental racism and holding local governments and businesses accountable for any environment-harming practices. In short, it would put environmental rights on par with other political and civil liberties—which other states (like Pennsylvania) already have enshrined.
Proposal 3: vote YES!
This proposal would make same-day voter registration a reality in NY. And yes, that’s a very good thing—the fewer barriers there are to voting, the better.
Proposal 4: vote YES!
Another voting rights-related proposal, this one would allow no-excuse absentee voting—yes, also a good thing! NY is currently one of only 16 states that still requires you to have an excuse if you want to vote by mail (think: you’re physically out of state). People’s lives are busy, and no-excuse absentee voting allows them to still exercise their right to vote. The state suspended this rule during COVID, and…mayhem did not ensue, so we are very confident that this can become official without any problems.
Proposal 5: VOTE YES!
Of all the proposals, this is one that honestly seems the most unclear—mostly because it requires an insider’s knowledge of the inner workings of NYC’s judicial system. But here’s what we do know: 1) Of all the proposals on the ballot this year, this is the only one that was unanimously passed by the state legislature, 2) A similar proposal passed back in 1983, to keep up with inflation; it makes sense to bump it up again, since, ya know, what things cost in the ‘80s is a bit different than what things cost today.
If you want to dive deeper into these ballot proposals, here are a few resources that are helpful: The City’s guide (they explain how ballot proposals work, too), State Of Politics’ guide (they have a different page for each proposal, FYI), League of Women Voters of Buffalo Niagara’s guide (they include a pros and cons list), New King Democrats’ guide (they’ve only weighed in on proposals 1, 3, and 4, but their explanations are good), and Gotham Gazette’s guide (they keep things short and sweet).