If no candidate for a citywide office (mayor, public advocate, or comptroller) receives at least 40% of the vote in the primary election, a runoff primary election is held between the two candidates who received the most votes. If you were eligible to vote in a party's primary election, you are also eligible to vote in any runoff primary held by that party.
The two candidates who received the most votes in the September 10th Democratic primary for public advocate are running in the October 1st runoff. You will be voting to determine which one of these candidates will be the Democratic nominee in the November 5th general election.
It is too late to register to vote for the runoff primary election, but you have until October 11, 2013 to register for the November 5th general election. Fill out a voter registration form and submit it in person or by mail with the NYC Board of Elections (BOE). You can download a registration form from the BOE’s website, pick one up at your local BOE office, or call 866-VOTE-NYC to request one by mail.
Your registration has no expiration date, but it may have been canceled if you moved and did not update your address with the BOE, if you have not voted in the past two federal elections. Call 866-VOTE-NYC or check the BOE's voter look up.
When you move, you must change your address with the BOE within 25 days. You do this by submitting a new voter registration form and filling in the information on the form, including information in the box labeled "Voting information that has changed". Fill in your new and old address, check the box for the party you wish to be enrolled in (do this even if you were enrolled in a party at your old address), and provide any other requested information. If you moved but you didn't change your address with the BOE before the deadline, you should go to your NEW polling place and vote by affidavit ballot. Call 866-VOTE-NYC to find out whether your change of address has been processed.
First, make sure you are signing in at the correct table for your assembly and election district. These district numbers are printed on the mailing label of your Voter Guide and on the mailer the BOE sends to all registered voters each August. You can also ask a poll worker for help, or check the BOE's poll site locator.
If you are at the right table but you are not on the poll list, it may be because the BOE did not receive your registration form. If you believe that you are eligible, you can still vote. Ask for an affidavit ballot, and follow the instructions. After the election, the BOE will check its records and your vote will be counted if you were eligible to vote. If not, you will receive a notice that you were not eligible to vote with a registration form for future elections.
For information on voting absentee in the October 1st runoff, visit www.vote.nyc.ny.us or call the voter hotline at 866-VOTE-NYC.
