(Onondaga Board of Elections website)
To register to vote, deadlines are looming.
Oct. 8 is the deadline for those who want to vote in the Nov. 2 election, according to the Web site of the Onondaga County Board of Elections. Mail-in registration forms must be postmarked by Oct. 8 and arrive at the Board of Elections by Oct. 13.
A citizen who has been honorably discharged from the military or has become a naturalized citizen since Oct. 8 has until Oct. 22 to register.
To get registration forms, citizens can download a copy from the Board of Elections’ Web site, http://ongov.net/elections/voterRegistration.html . Citizens can also call the board’s office or go in person to fill out the forms at the elections board or other state agencies.
The Onondaga Board of Elections’ phone number is (315)435-3312. It is located on the 15th floor of the John H. Mulroy Civic Center.
Here are the qualifications to vote:
- Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
- Must be at least 18 years old by Dec. 21 of the year in which they plan to vote.
- Must live at a present address for at least 30 days before the election.
- Cannot be in jail or on parole.
- And cannot claim the right to vote anywhere else.
Those with problems with registering can call a hotline to have an application mailed to them. The hotline number is 1-800-FOR-VOTE.
Registered voters can still vote even if they will not be in New York or not in the country. An absentee ballot is available from the Board of Elections for voters who will be away from home on Election Day. Absentee ballots are also available on the Board of Elections Web site.
(Crystal Barkley is a graduate student majoring in broadcast and digital journalism.)
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