Register to Vote
Visit the NYS Board of Elections website for the latest voter registration qualifications and procedures. Use the NYS Voter Lookup Tool to check your registration info. Register online through the Voter Registration Portal or the DMV.
Paper registration forms are available at the library.
Qualifications to Register to Vote
- Be a United States Citizen
- Be 18 years old (you may pre-register at 16 or 17 but cannot vote until you are 18)
- Be a resident of this state and the county, city or village for at least 30 days before the election
- Not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction (learn more about felon registration rights)
- Not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court
- Not claim the right to vote elsewhere
When to Vote
Election Day is held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in the month of November or the first Tuesday after November 1. The earliest possible date is November 2, and the latest possible date is November 8.
NYS allows early voting. Visit the Onondaga County Board of Elections website for details, election dates and ballots.
Where to Vote
Once registered to vote, you’ll have an assigned polling place based on where you live.
To look up your polling place, visit the NYS Board of Elections Voter Registration website.
Fact-checking & Media Bias
AllSides.com is a website built to expose people to information and ideas from all sides of the political spectrum. AllSides uses media bias ratings to provide balanced news, perspectives and issues from the left, center and right.
FactCheck.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” website for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in US politics. They monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major US political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.
PolitiFact.com is an independent fact-checking journalism website aimed at bringing citizens the truth in politics. PolitiFact’s reporters and editors fact-check statements from the White House, Congress, candidates, advocacy groups and more, rating claims for accuracy, providing analysis of the claim and explanation of reasoning, along with links to sources.
Resources for Kids
Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government – Kids visiting this site will learn about the different branches of government, the election process, how laws are made, and more.
iCivics – This site teaches students how government works by having them experience it by playing the role of a judge, a member of Congress, an activist fighting for local change, even the President of the United States.