How do I register to vote or change my voter registration?

Qualifications to Register to Vote

To register to vote, you must:

·       be a United States citizen;

·       be at least 16 years of age (note: you must be 18 years old by the date of the election in which you want to vote);

·       live at your present address for at least 30 days before an election;

·       not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction and;

·       not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court;

·       not claim the right to vote elsewhere.

How and Where to Register to Vote

If you have a NYS DMV-issued identification, you can register online at dmv.ny.gov.

You can register in person at your county board of elections or at any New York State Agency-Based voter registration center.

You can request a New York State Voter Registration form by mail by entering your name directly into the mailing list database.

You can call the 1-800-FOR-VOTE hotline to request a voter application.

New York State Voter Registration Form

You may register to vote using the New York State Voter Registration Form accessible at the links below. You can complete a PDF version of the New York State Voter Registration Form on-line by clicking on the link below, typing the necessary information and selecting the appropriate boxes. Alternatively, you can print the form to complete by hand.

See side bar for registration forms.

Once the form is completed, you need to print the form and sign it. We cannot accept any kind of digital or Adobe-generated signature. Then, mail the form to your county board of elections.

You can also complete an Accessible version of the New York State Voter Registration Form on-line by clicking on the link below, typing the necessary information and selecting the appropriate boxes.

Once the form is completed, you need to print the form and sign and date it. Then, mail the form to your county board of elections.

How to Make Changes to Your Registration:

Change of Name and/or Address

The voter registration form should be used as a change of address form. Notices of change of address from registered voters received at least 20 days before a special, primary or general election by the county board of elections must be processed and entered in the records in time for that election.

Change of Party Enrollment

The voter registration form should be used to change your party enrollment from one party to another or to enroll for the first time in a party. Changes of enrollment received after February 14th and until seven days after the June primary will take effect the seventh day following the June primary. All other enrollment changes will take effect immediately. Please see Deadlines referenced above.

How to Cancel Your Registration

In order to have your name removed from the voting rolls, pursuant to N.Y. Election Law section 5-400, you must send a written letter to the local board of elections where you lived requesting to have your registration cancelled. You must send a written letter, you cannot accomplish this via email. Contact information for all local boards is available at the county board of elections page.

Victims of Domestic Violence

N.Y. Election Law (5-508) allows victims of domestic violence who obtain a court order from NY Supreme Court in the county where they are registered to have their voter registration record kept separate and apart from other registration records and not be made available for inspection or copying by the public or any other person, except election officials acting within the course and scope of their official duties. Under a separate section of the law (11-306), you can also be excused from going to your polling place to vote and get a special ballot. For further information, you should contact your local board of elections for their confidential registration and special ballot procedures.

How do I find out where to vote?

Information on where to vote, including election districts, can be found on the Board of Elections department page. You can also use the NYS Voter Lookup tool to check your Early Voting and Election Day polling places, as well as your other voter registration information.

The Board of Elections sends an annual notice in the mail to registered voters indicating their polling location, election district, party enrollment, and election dates. Be on the lookout for this notice each spring, as it is often confused with junk mail. It is important to notify the Board of Elections any time you relocate, or the notification may not reach you.

A list of polling places and election districts served is also published in local newspapers, the Morning Times and the Tioga County Courier, prior to each election.

How do I vote early?

As an alternative to voting on Election Day, registered voters in New York State may vote early at a designated Early Voting Center. Tioga County has one Early Voting Center, which is located at the Tioga County Board of Elections, 1062 State Route 38, Owego, NY 13827.

The nine-day Early Voting Period begins ten days before every election and ends the Sunday before Election Day. In Tioga County, polls are open for Early Voting during the following times prior to each election:    

If you cast a ballot during Early Voting, you will not be allowed to vote on Election Day. The Tioga County Early Voting Center is handicap accessible.

In accordance with NYS Election Law, if you wish to change your party enrollment in time for the 2023 Primary Elections, the Board of Elections must receive your registration form by February 14th. Any enrollment change request received after February 14th will not take effect until July 5, 2023 (even if they were postmarked on or before Feb. 14th). 

Remember that in New York State, if you wish to vote in a Primary Election, you must be an enrolled member of the political party for which the Primary is being held. There are currently four constituted parties in New York State:

Democratic (DEM)
Republican (REP)
Conservative (CON)
Working Families (WOR)

You can change your party enrollment by submitting to us a voter registration form in person or by mail at:

Tioga County Board of Elections 
1062 State Route 38 
P.O. Box 306
Owego, NY 13827

You can also change your enrollment at the DMV in person (56 Main St, Owego, NY 13827), or online at https://dmv.ny.gov/ if you have a NYS DMV-issued Driver's License, Permit, or non-driver ID. *Note that any party enrollment change filed with the DMV on or after February 14th this year will not be received by the Board of Elections in time to take effect before the Primaries. Enrollment changes filed with the DMV must be done on February 13th or earlier to be timely.

If you have any questions, please call us at (607) 687-8261.