Qualifications
To register to vote in Columbia County, you must:
• Be a citizen of the United
States (Includes those persons born in Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S.
Virgin Islands).
• Be a Columbia County resident for at least 30 days.
•Be 18 years of age before the next election.
• Not be serving a jail sentence or be on parole for a felony conviction.
• Not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court.
• Not claim the right to vote elsewhere (outside the County of Columbia).
Although you can register any time during the year, your form must be delivered
or mailed at least 25 days before the next election for it to be effective
for that election.
How to Register
Register In Person -
Visit our office at 401 State Street, Hudson, New York OR Register By Mail
• A
Voter Registration Form from the Columbia County Board
of Elections may be obtained in the following
ways:
• You may obtain Registration Forms from libraries,
Post Offices, and most Columbia County Government agencies.
• Fill out a Voter Registration Application using only a pen with blue or black ink
• Be sure to sign the form.
•Mail(DO NOT FAX) the Voter Registration Form to:
Columbia County Board of Elections
401 State Street
Hudson, NY 12534
Party Affiliation
Party Affiliation in New York State
The application contains a section where you can indicate your choice
for party affiliation. If you would like to register without designating
a party, simply mark the space indicating "I do not wish to enroll
in a party."
The following parties are recognized in New York State:
• Democratic
• Republican
• Independence
• Conservative
• Working Families
Party Affiliation and the Primary System
In a Primary Election, only voters registered with one of the parties
qualified to hold a primary in Columbia County may vote to nominate their
party's candidate to run in the general election.
Candidates nominated by the parties for each office then appear on the general election ballot,
along with any independent candidates who gain access
to the general ballot without running in the party primaries.
Voting in Primary Elections
Because a primary is strictly a party election, only voters registered
with one of the parties conducting a primary may participate in that
party's election. Voters registered without party affiliation may
vote only in General and Special Elections.
To Change Your Party Affiliation
You can change your party affiliation by obtaining a Voter Registration
Form, indicating the change and sending it to the Board of Elections.
We will process the information and send you a new voter card reflecting
the change in party. You cannot CHANGE your enrollment and vote in the
NEW PARTY of your choice in the same year. Please Note: a change of enrollment
will go into affect one week following the General Election. The last
day to change your enrollment is the same as the last day to register
for the General Election (25 days prior to the date of the General Election).
Keeping Your Registration Current
What the Law Says
Your residence address determines the particular contests in which you
are eligible to vote. Because of the role that one's address plays in
the electoral system, New York State law requires voters to notify the
Board of Elections within 25 days of an address change to preserve their
voting rights.
To Make Changes to Your Registration
You must notify the Board of Elections, in writing, to make any change
to your registration (change of address or name). You may send us the
change on a Registration application.
Controls For Keeping Registration Current
The Board has developed two programs:
• The Board of Elections compares its file of registered voters
to a file received from the United States Postal Service
(USPS) of people who have submitted a change of address.
For voters that match, the Board of Elections sends a confirmation
notice to indeed verify if the voter has moved.
•Reports received by city/state agencies (Mental Health, Corrections,
Health Dept., Motor Vehicles, etc.) as mechanisms for keeping
the voter registry current.
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