How to vote · 2026
New York
Any voter can request a mail ballot
Every date below comes from the New York election office and links to the page that states it. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Dates and rules
Registration, mail ballots, and early voting
Registration deadlineOctober 24, 2026Register online, in person, or by mail (received) by Oct. 24, 2026 (10 days before). No same-day registration.
Mail-ballot request deadlineOctober 24, 2026
Mail ballots first sentSeptember 18, 2026Any voter may request an early mail ballot (2023 law); traditional absentee ballots still require an excuse. County boards begin mailing general-election ballots Sept. 18, 2026 (about 46 days out; N.Y. Elec. Law 8-406/8-700, confirmed by county boards such as Orange County). Online/mail requests by Oct. 24 (10 days out); in-person through Nov. 2.
Return rulePostmarked by Election Day and received within 7 days (by Nov. 10, 2026)
Early in-person votingOctober 24, 2026through November 1, 2026 · In-person early voting Oct. 24-Nov. 1, 2026; sites and hours set by county boards.
Official NY election site ↗Dates last verified against the official site September 1, 2026.Sources: [1] Orange County (N.Y.) Board of Elections: first mailing of general-election ballots Sept. 18, 2026[2] NYS Board of Elections: early mail and absentee ballot request rules and deadlines[3] USA.gov directory of official state election offices[4] Mail voting Sept. 18-Nov. 10, 2026[5] CEIR 2026 voter registration deadlines (June 25, 2026 dataset; per-mode deadlines and same-day registration windows)[6] NCSL Table 5: statutory absentee ballot application deadline[7] NCSL Table 11 (updated Dec. 2025): ballot receipt/postmark deadline
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The full table of mail-ballot send dates, registration deadlines, and early-voting windows for all fifty states and DC, plus the documented record of government actions on mail voting this cycle.
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