When Do I Need to Vote?
The next election is the General Election on November 5, 2024. Your voice matters!
General Election 2024: Key Dates
Sat, Oct 26 | Voter Registration Deadline; Early Mail and Absentee Ballot Request Deadline
- The Board of Elections office must receive your voter registration application—via mail, in person, or online—by this date.
- If you are requesting an early mail ballot or absentee ballot, the Board of Elections must receive your application via online portal, email, fax, or mail by this date. (You may request one in person through November 4—see below.)
Sat, Oct 26–Sun, Nov 3 | Early Voting in NYC
Mon, Nov 4 | Early Mail and Absentee Ballot Request Deadline (In-Person)
- This is the last day to apply in person at the Board of Elections for an early mail or absentee ballot.
Tues, Nov 5 | General Election Day!
- Polls are open 6 AM–9 PM. Find your poll site.
- This is the last day to postmark your early mail ballot or absentee ballot, and the last day to deliver a ballot in person at the Board of Elections office or a poll site.
Why Do I Need to Vote?
Voting determines much more than just the presidency every four years; it’s crucial all year round. Your vote is decisive in local elections determining the next candidate to fill positions from Comptroller to District Attorney—in other words, who controls the money and who upholds the law.
Discover how to register to vote, your rights as a voter, and how to vote.
What Am I Voting For?
What you’ll see on your ballot depends on the type of election happening—which could be a primary, general, congressional, state, local, or special election! Read on to learn more about different types of elections, and visit Ballotpedia to know what to expect on your ballot the next time you vote.
Types of Elections
Primary elections are held before the general election and allow voters to select the candidates who will run on each party ticket (e.g. Republican, Democratic) for the general election. To vote in a primary in New York State, you must be registered with the relevant party.
General elections are held to elect candidates to public office, including the president of the United States, U.S. Senators, and members of the House of Representatives.
Congressional elections take place every two years, and these elections determine who represents your state in Congress. They also decide which political party—Democratic or Republican—will hold a majority in each chamber of Congress for the next two years.
State and local elections happen every year and at various times throughout the year. Statewide elections determine who becomes governor and who goes to the state legislature. Local elections determine who gets appointed as judges, local officials, city councilmembers, and mayors. Learn more about what your elected officials can do.
Special elections don't happen often, but if they do, it's because an elected official ended their term early: maybe they won a higher office, accepted a new job, or were expelled.
How Do I Vote?
Find out how to register to vote, change your party registration (or check your status), find your polling place, vote by mail, and more. Note: you have to be 18 years old to vote, but you can pre-register if you’re 16 or 17!
How Do General Elections Work?
In congressional election races and state-level elections in New York State, the candidate with the most votes wins. This is called plurality voting.
The president of the United States is elected by the Electoral College. Every state is represented in the Electoral College by a number of electors equal to the size of the state's congressional delegation. For example, New York is represented in the U.S. Congress by two senators and 26 representatives—which means it has 28 electors in the Electoral College. Typically, a state's electors vote for the popular winner (the candidate with the most votes) in their state. Because there are 538 electors in total, a candidate must secure at least 270 votes in the Electoral College to be elected president.
NYC Elections: How Does Ranked-Choice Voting Work?
Please note! Ranked-choice voting is only used in New York City for primary and special elections for city offices. Voters on November 5, 2024, will use plurality voting, by which the candidate with the most votes wins.
Ranked-choice voting allows people to vote for multiple candidates in order of preference. In New York City, you can now fill out the ballot saying who is your first choice, second choice, and so on up to your fifth-choice candidate for each position. Learn more about ranked-choice voting here and here.
New York City has used ranked-choice voting since June 2021 for primary and special elections for city offices (mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president, and city council). General elections continue to use plurality voting (the candidate with the most votes wins).
How to fill out your ranked-choice ballot:
- Rank your top five candidates in order
- Mark your favorite candidate in the first column
- Mark the rest, in order, in their respective columns
- Do not skip any columns
- Mark as many candidates as you feel comfortable ranking (up to five)
Choosing multiple candidates does not hurt your first choice, but you can select up to five candidates.
What Else is On My Ballot?
Learn about what you're voting for by researching every race and referendum on the ballot using Ballotpedia.
More Ways to Get Involved
There’s so much you can do to get involved with elections, even if you're not of voting age yet. Here are some tips on how to engage your friends, family, and community!
- Register or pre-register to vote. If you’re 16 or 17 years old, you can pre-register to vote, meaning you’ll automatically become registered on your 18th birthday. If you’re already 18, you’re eligible to register!
- Help make a voting plan for family and friends. If you know about who’s on the ballot, the issues they may or may not support, and polling locations, you can share what you know by talking to your friends and family. Put your technology skills to use and show people how easy it is to register to vote online or apply for an absentee ballot. Also, many people don't vote because much of the information available isn't in their native language. If this is true for a friend or someone in your family, walk them through websites or offer to make calls for them to get their voter registration form and ballot in their native language.
- Engage with election candidates. Follow and comment on candidates' social media posts, write letters, and look for opportunities to hear them speak or ask them questions.
- Volunteer to register people to vote. Headcount and NYC Votes are two organizations that host events to get people registered to vote—or, ask your local library staff to see how you can help get out the vote at your nearest branch! You can also organize a group of your friends to help people look up their voter registration status with the Voter Look-Up tool.
- Find out who represents you using this tool from CUNY Graduate Center. All you need is your address!
- Find civics-oriented organizations to connect with, events to attend, and election info. NYC's Youth Civic Hub is full of resources and opportunities.
- Follow NYPL and NYPL Teens on social media: Instagram | Twitter | TikTok | Facebook
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More Voter Information
Learn MoreFind more detailed information about voting and elections, including everything you need to know about voter registration, where your polling station is, who's running for office, and how to research the issues.
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NYPL’s Teen Civics Ambassadors
Learn MoreTeen Civics Ambassadors create events and resources for other teens at the Library focused on civic and community engagement.
This resource guide was originally compiled and written by Genee Bright, Adult Librarian at Bronx Library Center, and Emma Eriksson, formerly Young Adult Librarian at the Hunt's Point Library. Updated August 2024.