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Deadline To Change Political Party Registration Is This Weekend—Here's What You Need To Know
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Feb 11, 2021
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Scott Heins / Gothamist
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Feb 11, 2021
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New York City is an overwhelmingly Democratic town, with 3.7 million registered Democrats out of 5.5 million total registered voters. So if any of the remaining 1.8 million voters want a say in races for mayor, comptroller, public advocate, borough president, or City Council, now would be the time to change their party affiliation.
Only registered voters in a political party are allowed to vote in their party’s primary contest, according to state election law. For those registered as “Blank” or Republican or any other party, the deadline to change party registration is February 14th. With Valentine’s Day falling on a Sunday this year, and coming the day before a federal holiday, the actual cutoff date varies based on what county you live in. Because, of course it does.
If you do want to change your party registration in order to vote in the June 22nd Democratic primary, and you have not already been targeted by an ongoing campaign, here is what you need to know.
How do I check my voter registration status?
There is a simple search function through the New York City Board of Elections website that will tell you if you are registered, and under what address and party. You could also call 1-888-868-3692.
I am a registered “Blank” and I want to change that — what do I do?
You have a few options, but you don’t have a lot of time. You can complete a paper voter registration form either at a BOE office, or download one from several places online including the city BOE or Campaign Finance Board. Your best bet would be to drop the form off at your local BOE office by Friday. If you live here in New York City, the BOE’s general office at 32 Broadway in Manhattan will be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Sunday to accept forms. But that is not true across the state. Many county BOE offices will be closed this weekend.
Can I just mail the form?
Here’s the thing about mailing it: the way election law is written, your local BOE office needs to receive the form by Sunday, Feb 14. There is nothing in the law that addresses when it was postmarked. If there were any lessons from last year’s elections, mail delivery speeds are not always as fast as one would hope. Also, since many local BOE offices will not be open over the weekend, and Monday is a holiday, that means the form really would need to be delivered by Friday. Unless you are paying for overnight delivery, that ship has sailed.
What are my online options?
If you have an account with the state Department of Motor Vehicles, you can change your party affiliation through their online portal up until midnight on Friday, February 12th (that’s Friday night, going into Saturday).
“Anything received by DMV by then will be downloaded electronically to the CBOE’s on Saturday,” New York State BOE spokesman John Conklin told Gothamist / WNYC, referring to the county boards of election. Anything processed online Saturday, Sunday, or Monday would be too late.
Tagged
election 2021
Brigid Bergin
Brigid Bergin is an award-winning senior reporter on the People and Power desk. She is fiercely committed to telling stories that help people engage and support democracy. In 2022, she hosted a live, ten-week call-in politics show ahead of the midterm elections called The People's Guide to Power. Brigid's reporting in 2017 included some of the first coverage of a political newcomer now known as AOC. In 2016, she broke the news of a voter purge in Brooklyn just days before New York’s presidential primary, triggering city, state and federal investigations. Brigid also guest hosts The Brian Lehrer Show and All Of It. She graduated from the University at Albany and the CUNY Newmark School of Journalism. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-723-4719.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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