Mental Health Voter Empowerment Project

Guidelines for New Voters in NYS

The Help America Vote Act (HAVA), passed by Congress in the wake of the 2000 Presidential Election, requires that states take several actions to help prevent voter fraud in the election process.

In New York State, this has so far translated into two different changes to Election Law as it had previously existed, both involving new registrants.

The first, you will have already seen. All new registrants were required to provide on the Voter Registration form either their Driver’s License Number of the last four digits of their Social Security Number. If you have registered to vote since 2000, and did not provide your Driver’s License Number or the last four digits of your Social Security Number, then you will experience the second change to election law.

All voters who have not previously voted in a FEDERAL election, and who did not provide the last four digits of their Social Security Number, or their Driver’s License number when registering, will be required to show some form of identification on Election Day.

Several different forms of identification have been identified as acceptable; however, certain forms will vary based upon County.

According to New York State Law, the following types of ID will be acceptable without question. Due to pending questions related to the acceptance of various forms of identification, it is highly recommended that, if you fall into the population that is required to show ID to vote, you bring multiple forms from the list below.

• A current and valid photo identification,
• Valid United States Passport
• Driver’s License
• Non-driver’s ID Card
• Student Identification Cards
• Pistol or Firearm Permit
• Pilot’s License
• Military Identification
• Government Identification
• a copy of a current utility bill
• gas, telephone, electric or other water bill
• a copy of a current bank statement
• statement from a banking institution or credit union
• a copy of a current government check or paycheck
• Social Security Administation check statements
• a government or military paycheck or paycheck stub
• some other government document that shows the name and address of the voter
• hunting, fishing or trapping license
• Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards
• Public housing lease and rent statements and agreements, or rent statement agreements provided pursuant to subsidized housing programs
• Public housing identification cards
• Tuition statements or bills from public colleges and universities
• Bills from a Federal, State, or local government
• Discharge certificates, pardons, or other official documents issued in connection with the resolution of a criminal case, indictment, sentence or other matter, in accordance with state law
• Government homeless shelter identification cards.

This list is provided by The New York State Board of Elections, and is based upon what it will recommend to counties as acceptable forms of identification; however, final decisions are up to the county, and will take place on a county by county basis. Again, because the actual forms of identification accepted will vary, it is recommended that you bring multiple backup sources of identification to ensure that you are afforded the opportunity to vote.