Voter Registration

Qualification to Vote By Absentee Ballot

  • unavoidably absent from your county on Election Day;
  • unable to appear at the polls due to illness or disability;
  • a patient in a Veterans' Administration Hospital ; and
  • detained in jail awaiting Grand Jury action or confined in prison after conviction for an offense other than a felony.

How to Vote By Absentee Ballot

Applications for Absentee Ballots are available at the West Seneca Town Clerk's Office or the Erie County Board of Elections, 134 West Eagle Street, Buffalo, NY 14202.

You may also download a New York State Absentee Ballot Application Form at www.elections.state.ny.us.
Upon completion, applications must be mailed to the Erie County Board of Elections no later than the seventh day before the election or delivered in person no later than the day before the election. The mailing address the Board of Elections is:

Erie County Board of Elections
134 West Eagle Street
Buffalo, NY 14202

You may also request an Absentee Ballot by sending a letter to the Erie County Board of Elections. The letter must be received by the Board of Elections no earlier than 30 days and no later than seven days before the election. The letter must contain the following information:

  • the address where you are registered
  • an address where the ballot is to be sent
  • the reason for the request, and
  • the signature of the voter

An application form will be mailed with your ballot. The application form must be completed and returned with your ballot.
If you are permanently ill or disabled, you have the right to receive an Absentee Ballot for each subsequent election without further application. Simply file an application with the Erie County Board of Elections containing a statement which describes the particulars of your illness or disability.

Military Voting

Persons serving in the military may vote from their designated 'home of record', regardless of where they may be stationed or for how long. If that home of record is in New York, you may register and vote in local, state and federal elections by completing an application and sending it to the Board of Elections in your 'home of record' county. Your application will register you and also serve as your absentee ballot application, and will be valid for 2 federal elections.Applications are available from your Voting Assistance Officer on base, or you can visit www.elections.state.ny.us or www.fvap.gov for forms and information. Always be sure to share any change of address information with the Erie County Board of Elections.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I register to vote?

You may register at the Erie County Board of Elections or any state agency participating in the National Voter Registration Act on any business day throughout the year. Voter Registration Forms are available at the West Seneca Town Clerk's Office. Alternatively, you can download a Voter Registration form from the New York State Board of Elections website at www.elections.state.ny.us and mail it to the Erie County Board of Elections.

How do I change my name and address?

Complete the Voter Registration Form with the new information, and mail it to the Erie County Board of Elections (do not bring to Town Hall). You can obtain a Voter Registration Form from the Town Clerk's Office or the Erie County Board of Elections or any state agency participating in the National Voter Registration Act on any business day throughout the year or from the New York State Board of Elections website at www.elections.state.ny.us.

How do I change my enrollment?

If you wish to change your enrollment from one party to another or from not-enrolled to a party, send a Voter Registration Form with your new choice to the Erie County Board of Elections. The board will notify you when the change takes place, by Law, after the next general election. The Voter Registration Form is available at the Town Clerk's Office or the Erie County Board of Elections.

NEED ADDITIONAL HELP?

Erie County Board of Elections
134 West Eagle Street
Buffalo, NY 14202
(716) 858-8891


New York State Board of Elections
40 Steuben Street

Albany , NY 12208-2108

(800) 367-8683
https://www.elections.ny.gov/

Federal Voter Assistance Program

(800) 438-8683

www.fvap.gov

Voter information was prepared using resources from the Erie County Board of Elections and New York State Board of Elections.