NEW YORK — Tuesday, September 28, 2021 is National Voter Registration Day.
It's a day focused on getting as many eligible voters registered to vote as possible. The day was first observed back in 2012. Since then. nearly 4.5 million voters have registered to vote on the holiday.
According to National Voter Registration Day's website, as many as one-in-four eligible Americans are not registered to vote. Millions of Americans find themselves unable to vote because they missed the deadline to register.
National Voter Registration Day is the fourth Tuesday of September.
If you don't know how to register, here is how you can do so in New York State. On the New York State Board of Elections website, it lists several ways you can do so:
- You can register in person at your county board of elections, or at any New York State Agency-Based voter registration center.
- You may also submit your voter application form at the Department of Motor Vehicles, either in person or on their web site if you already have DMV-issued identification.
- You can request a New York State Voter Registration form by mail by entering your name directly into the state's mailing list database.
- You can call the 1-800-FOR-VOTE (1-800-367-8683) hotline to request a voter application
If you want to register to be able to vote in the General Election on November 2, 2021, there are some deadlines you need to be aware of.
If you are registering by mail, applications must be postmarked no later than October 8, 2021 and received by the board of elections no later than October 13, 2021.
If you are registering in person, your application must be received no later than October 8, 2021. If honorably discharged from the US Military or have become a naturalized citizen after October 8, you may register in person at the Board of Elections up until October 23, 2021.
If you changed your address since the last election, you must submit a notice of change of address by October 13, 2021.
If you want to learn more about the deadlines to apply and submit absentee ballots, you can look at the board of elections website by clicking here.