|
What is a primary election?
A political party holds a primary election when more than one candidate
is seeking the party’s nomination for the same office. In a primary election,
voters enrolled in a political party pick a candidate to represent the party
in the general election. In New York State, there are five political parties
that can hold primary elections in 2003: the Republican, Democratic, Independence,
Conservative, and Working Families parties.
TOP
Can I vote in the September 9 primary election?
You can vote in New York City’s September 9 primary election if
(1) you are registered to vote, (2) you are enrolled in a political party, and
(3) your political party is holding a primary in your Council district. Please
note that not all political parties have primaries, and not all registered
voters are enrolled in political parties. You can only vote in the primary of
the party of which you are a member.
If you do not know whether you can vote in this year’s primary election, call
the Board of Elections’ (“BOE”) toll-free voter assistance number, 866-VOTE-NYC,
or, for the hearing impaired, call (212) 487-5496 to find out.
TOP
I don’t know if I am registered to vote. How do I find out, and
how do I register?
If you do not know whether you are registered to vote, call the
BOE at 866-VOTE-NYC, or, for the hearing impaired, call (212) 487-5496 to find out.
If you are a registered voter, you should receive a notice from the Board of
Elections in August telling you where your polling place is. If you do not get a
notice, call the BOE’s toll-free voter assistance number, 866-VOTE-NYC, to find
out whether you are registered to vote.
August 15, 2003, was the last day to register for the September 9 primary
election and October 10, 2003, is the last day to register for the November 4
general election. To register to vote, you must fill out a voter registration
form and file it in person or by mail with any of the following BOE offices:
Main Office
32 Broadway, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10004
(212) 487-5300 |
Brooklyn
345 Adams Street, 4th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 797-8800 |
Manhattan
200 Varick Street, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10014
(212) 886-3800 |
Queens
42-16 West Street, 5th Floor
Long Island City, NY 11101
(718) 392-8989 |
Bronx
1780 Grand Concourse, 5th Floor
Bronx, NY 10457
(718) 299-9017 |
Staten Island
One Edgewater Plaza, 4th Floor
Staten Island, NY 10305
(718) 876-0079 |
Voter registration forms are available at these offices. You can also get a
registration form and other information by calling 866-VOTE-NYC. You can
download and print a registration form on the BOE’s Web site,
www.vote.nyc.ny.us, or fill out a request online to have a form mailed to you. However they are
obtained, voter registration forms must be filled out, signed, and either mailed
or hand delivered to one of the offices listed above, because they must have an
original signature (in ink) to be valid.
Please note: You cannot submit your voter registration form via the BOE’s Web
site; you may only download or request one.
TOP
How long is my registration good for?
Your registration has no expiration date. However, your
registration may have been cancelled if you moved and did not update your
address with the BOE and you did not vote in the 2000 or 2002 (federal)
elections. Call 866-VOTE-NYC for more information.
TOP
What if I have moved (within New York City)?
If you have moved since you last voted, you must change your address with
the BOE by submitting a new
voter registration form and checking the box
labeled "Address change."
If you have moved within New York City and you have not changed your address
with the BOE, you may still be able to vote by going to your new polling
place and filling out an affidavit ballot that will be available there.
However, it is best to update your registration whenever you move by filling
out a voter registration form with your new address and sending it to the BOE.
TOP
How do I enroll in a political party (or change my enrollment from one party
to another)?
You enroll in a political party by checking off a party enrollment box on
your voter registration form. Enrolling in a party makes you a member of
that political party and allows you to vote in that party’s future
primaries.
October 11, 2002 was the last date you could have changed your party
enrollment for the September 9, 2003 primary election. If you are a
registered voter and want to enroll in a party or want to change the party
you are enrolled in for future elections, you must obtain a new voter
registration form and fill it out, check the box of the party you would like
to enroll in, check the box "Party enrollment change," and submit the form
to the BOE before October 10, 2003 to be eligible to vote in next year’s
primary elections.
TOP
Which candidates can I vote for in the September 9 primary election?
You can vote for any candidate who is seeking the nomination of
the party you are enrolled in.
TOP
I don’t know which Council district I live in. How can I find out?
To find your Council district, go to Find
Your District and type in your address, or view the
NYC Borough Map and see and click on your borough. The borough map will
show the boundaries of the Council district so that you can locate your Council
district. Please remember that your Council district may have changed since
the last time you voted (due to redistricting). You can also call the BOE’s
toll-free voter assistance number, 866-VOTE-NYC to find out.
TOP
Does this Voter Guide contain information about all the candidates who will
be on the September 9 primary election ballot?
Not necessarily. This Guide only has information about candidates running
for City Council in the primary election. It is possible that you will be
voting on candidates for other offices, such as district attorney, delegates
to judicial conventions, and party positions.
Also, some candidates running for these offices may not have sent
information to be included in the Voter Guide, or may have sent in that
information too late. However, the names of all primary election candidates
for City Council known at the time this Web Guide was published are listed.
Candidates who did not submit information for
the Voter Guide, or did not do so in time, have an asterisk next to their
names indicating this. Also, please note that some Council districts may not
have any primary elections.
Some candidates listed in the CFB’s printed Voter Guide may not appear in this
Web Voter Guide because they have been disqualified from the ballot and some
candidates listed in this Web Voter Guide may not appear in the CFB’s printed Voter Guide because
they qualified for the ballot after the deadline for producing and mailing the
printed Guide.
TOP
Will all the candidates listed in this Voter Guide appear on the September 9
primary election ballot?
Not necessarily. It is possible that after this Guide is published, some
candidates may drop out of the race or be taken off the ballot for legal
reasons. Candidates can be removed from the ballot, or put back on the
ballot, up until just before the election. So there may be some candidates
listed in this Guide who do not appear on the final primary election ballot.
You should always check the sample ballot at your polling place before
voting.
TOP
If my party is not holding a primary election, can I vote in the general
election?
Yes. All registered voters can vote in the general election on November 4,
2003. In the general election, you can vote for the candidate of your choice
no matter what party you are enrolled in.
TOP
Where do I go to vote?
You vote at your local polling place. If you are a registered voter, you
should receive a notice from the Board of Elections telling you where your
polling place is. Read the notice carefully. If you do not have your
postcard or you do not know where to vote, call 866-VOTE-NYC.
TOP
When I get to my polling place, where do I go?
The notice you received from the Board of Elections tells you what Assembly
District (A.D.) and Election District (E.D.) you live in. These numbers are
important because they tell you which voting booth to use. If you forget
your A.D. or E.D. on election day, the information clerk or any of the
election workers will be able to tell you which booth to use.
TOP
What if my name is not on the list when I get to my polling place? Will I
still be able to vote?
If you are not on the poll-list, it may be because your registration form
was not received or, for a primary election, because you aren’t enrolled in
a party or your party is not holding a primary. If you believe that you are
eligible, you can still vote. Ask for an affidavit ballot, which is a paper
ballot. Fill it out and enclose and seal it in the envelope supplied. On the
affidavit envelope give your old and new addresses along with all other
required information and remember to sign it. After the election, the Board
of Elections will check its records and your vote will be counted if you are
indeed eligible to vote. If not, you will receive a notice that you are not
eligible to vote, along with a registration form for future elections.
TOP
Can I vote if I can’t get to my polling place on election day?
You can vote by absentee ballot for a number of reasons, such as being away
at school, on vacation, disabled, or in the hospital. Call the
BOE at 866-VOTE-NYC to
find out if you can vote by absentee ballot, and to request an application
for an absentee ballot.
If you cannot get to your polling site on election day, you can vote in
person ("In Person Absentee Voting") at the BOE’s office in your borough
beginning August 25, 2003 for this year’s primary
election. In Person Absentee Voting is conducted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday through Friday for 15 days, ending on election day. It is also
conducted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, September 6 and Sunday, September
7, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, September 8 and on primary election
day, September 9th. Call the BOE at 866-VOTE-NYC for more information.
To vote by absentee ballot, follow these two steps:
1. File an Absentee Ballot Application. You can have an absentee ballot
application mailed to you by calling 866-VOTE-NYC. You can also pick up an
application at any of the Board of Elections’ offices, or
download and print an
absentee ballot application from the BOE’s Web site. Fill out the application and mail it or deliver it in
person to the BOE office in your borough. For the primary election on
September 9, 2003, completed absentee ballot applications must be postmarked
by September 2, 2003, or must be personally delivered to the BOE office by
5:00 p.m. on September 8, 2003.
2. Send in your Absentee Ballot. If you submit your absentee ballot
application in person at your Board of Elections borough office, you will
receive your absentee ballot immediately. You can also have it mailed to
you. Fill it out and mail or hand deliver it to any of the BOE’s offices.
For the primary election, completed absentee ballots must be postmarked by
September 8, 2003 or personally delivered to the BOE’s office in your
borough by 9:00 p.m. on September 9, 2003.
TOP
How can I get more information?
The Board of Elections has a toll-free voter assistance telephone number to
answer questions from voters. To learn more about voting in this election,
call 866-VOTE-NYC (866-868-3692), or, for the hearing impaired, (212)
487-5496. There is also information available on the BOE’s Web site,
www.vote.nyc.ny.us.
The Voter Assistance Commission is a nonpartisan government agency created
to encourage more New Yorkers to register and to vote. The Commission
identifies historically underrepresented groups and works with other public
agencies, private groups, and community-based organizations to encourage
registration and voting. The Commission holds an annual public hearing after
the general election to learn about experiences with voting in New York City
and to make recommendations for improvements. The Commission also holds
public meetings prior to the general election to discuss other voting
issues. To find out when the annual public hearing will be held or to get
more information, call (212) 788-8384. You can also write to the Voter
Assistance Commission, 100 Gold Street, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10038, or
visit its Web site at www.ci.nyc.ny.us/voter.
The Campaign Finance Board’s Web site has a
searchable
database with up-to-date contribution, expenditure, and other campaign
finance information on candidates participating in the Campaign Finance
Program.
TOP
|
