2024 Election key dates and resources

If someone threatens violence against you, their speech is not protected by the First Amendment.  

Even if they do not actually threaten violence, they may not be protected. For example, if someone makes false statements about election procedures because they mean to interfere with voting, they may not be protected. And electioneering, including encouraging a voter to vote for or against a candidate or party, is not permitted in New York within 100 feet of a polling place. 

Government officials cannot interfere with or influence a presidential or congressional election. This includes the 2024 General Election.  

• A member of the U.S. armed forces cannot try to prevent a voter from voting by using force, threat, intimidation, or advice. 
• It is illegal for troops, military, or armed federal law enforcement officers to be at a poll site in their official capacity unless “such force [is] necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States.” 
• No person, including government officers, is allowed to intimidate voters. 

 If you see or hear about any conduct like this, contact OAG. 

It is illegal for people to organize as private militias without permission from the state. It is a felony to assemble as a paramilitary organization and to practice with a military weapon to support the organization’s purpose. This includes assembling at a poll site. 

If you see or hear about any conduct like this, contact OAG and local law enforcement immediately. 

New York law does not permit possession of a firearm, rifle, shotgun, or other firearm in polling places. 

It is illegal to use other dangerous instruments to intimidate or harass anyone at a poll site.  

If you see or hear about any conduct like this, report it to OAG and local law enforcement immediately. 

The media may be allowed to photograph people in the polling place if the board of elections allows and it does not disrupt voting. A board of elections can ban photography in and within 100 feet of the polling place. In any case, no one is allowed to ask a voter to show their ballot, and voters are not permitted to show their completed ballot to anyone.  

If you see or hear about any conduct like this, contact OAG. 

You should never have to show photo ID anywhere in the state of New York to vote. However, you may have to show some sort of identification if this is your first time voting and you did not provide any identification when registering. If that is the case, you can show either a photo ID or any one of the following: copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address. Which form to provide is entirely your choice. If you do not have any of these pieces of identification, you can cast an affidavit ballot unless a court says otherwise. 

If you see or hear of anyone improperly requesting voter identification, contact OAG. 

New York’s laws and regulations protect voter privacy at early voting and Election Day poll sites. Election inspectors at poll sites must prevent anyone to be where they can see how you voted, or within three feet of you while you are marking or scanning your ballot.  

It is illegal for anyone to violate a voter’s privacy – by a poll watcher, poll worker, election inspector or someone else.  

If you see or hear any conduct like this, contact OAG immediately. 

Electioneering means campaigning or otherwise advocating on behalf of a political party, candidate or ballot proposal. While the polls are open, electioneering is illegal in the polling place and within 100 feet of the polling place’s entrances. No political banner, button, poster, or placard is allowed in these areas. No one can urge a voter to vote in a particular way in these areas. 

If you see or hear about any conduct like this, contact OAG. 

Poll watchers may observe irregularities and report these observations to an elections inspector or the BOE.

Poll watchers must be sent by candidates, political parties, political committees, or independent organizations that have candidates on the ballot. Each poll watcher must have a certificate in writing appointing them. This certificate is issued by the chairperson or secretary of the political party committee, or independent body, or by the candidates. These certificates must be delivered to an inspector at the election district. Anyone who is not a legally authorized watcher is not permitted to watch the polls. 

If you see or hear of any unauthorized poll watching, contact OAG.  

Each candidate, political party, political committees, or authorized independent organization can have no more than three poll watchers at each election district at any given time. No more than one of these poll watchers may be within the “guard rail,” the part of the poll site that contains the table used by election inspectors and BOE equipment. The guard rail includes the privacy booths, ballot marking devices (BMD), and ballot scanners, plus any areas the voters use to move among these locations in the poll site.  

If a poll watcher blocks the flow of voters to voting booths, an election commissioner can require the poll watcher to be seated. If the poll watcher does not comply, they can be removed. 

Poll watchers cannot intimidate voters, electioneer, invade voters’ privacy, or otherwise interfere with people’s voting rights.  

If you see or hear any conduct like this, contact OAG.