Voting Information For Social Workers
Voting is valuable and necessary for impactful changes in our communities! As social workers, we should be educated on the political positions of candidates at the federal, state and local levels. The decisions politicians make at every level impact our profession and the communities we serve. Let’s commit to exercising our right to vote and assisting our clients to have access to the polls in November!
Social Work & Voting
Jessica J. Mitchel, LMSW, MA and Alexandra Saint Laurent, MSW discuss vote suppression and how social workers can engage their clients and communities to advocate for themselves.
Resources
Voting Is Social Work!: Click here for more info
Absentee Ballot Registration Information in NYS: Click here
How to Vote in NYS: Click here
Voting Deadlines in NYS: Click here
Volunteer as a Poll Worker in NYS: Click here
Voting Resource for college students: Click Here
Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities
Under federal and state law, persons with disabilities are entitled to assistance with voter registration, accessible polling sites, and assistance with casting their ballot. For more information on voter accessibility, click this link.
Voting after Incarceration
A new law passed in NYS in 2021 restores the right to vote for a person convicted of a felony upon release from incarceration, regardless of if they are on parole or have a term of post-release supervision. If a convicted felon is not incarcerated, they are eligible to register to vote. For more information on voting in NYS after incarceration, click this link.
Military and Overseas Citizens
Persons serving in the military, along with their spouses and/or dependents, may register as a military voter in New York, entitling them to receive an absentee ballot for all federal, state and local races that they would be otherwise entitled to vote in if they were to go to their assigned polling place based on their New York residence. For more information, click this link.
Voting While Trans
Transgender people are sometimes unable to update their IDs to reflect their identity for a number of reasons. This is not illegal. As long as the relevant voter data (usually the name and address) matches one of the acceptable forms of ID, the voter has the right to vote. Poll workers should not be distracted by gender presentation when evaluating a voter’s identity and eligibility to vote. For more information and resources for voting while trans in NYS, click this link.
Experiencing problems voting in NYS?
Each year, for both the June primary and November general elections (and the April primary for presidential election years), the Office of the Attorney General runs an Election Protection Hotline. Click this link to learn more.
https://www.elections.ny.gov/index.html
https://votingissocialwork.org
https://www.ada.gov/votingck.htm
https://doccs.ny.gov/preparing-parole
https://www.ny.gov/services/apply-clemency
https://www.elections.ny.gov/VotingMilitaryFed.html.
First time voters guide
NY State Office of Attorney General Hotline: 1-800-771-7755
NYS BOARD OF ELECTIONS
40 NORTH PEARL STREET, SUITE 5
ALBANY, NY 12207-2729
- (518) 474-6220
- TDD/TTY Call the New York State Relay 711
- Email: INFO@elections.ny.gov
Public Information
- (518) 474-1953
- FAX (518) 473-8315
- Email: INFO@elections.ny.gov
Election Operations
- Voter Info. 1-800-367-8683
- (518) 473-5086
- FAX (518) 486-4546
National Voter Registration Act
- NVRA Info. 1-800-469-6872
- (518) 474-1953
- FAX (518) 473-8315
National Election Protection Hotline
866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)