Adult Court Voting Rights

• Be a United States Citizen
• Be 18 years old (you may pre-register at 16 or 17 but cannot vote until you are 18)
• Be a resident of this state and the county, city, or village for at least 30 days before the election
• Not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court
• Not claim the right to vote elsewhere
• Not be in prison for a felony conviction

There are no additional requirements if you:

• Are in jail for a misdemeanor charge
• Have been convicted of a misdemeanor
• Are on probation (although they cannot vote if they are in jail serving a split sentence of jail and probation for a felony conviction)
• Have completed your maximum prison sentence
• Have been discharged from parole on any charge

A law passed in 2021 restores the right to vote for a person convicted of a felony upon release from incarceration, regardless of if they are on parole or have a term of post-release supervision. If a convicted felon is not incarcerated, they are eligible to register to vote. Please see the New York State Notice of Felon Registration Rights: Notice of Felon Registration Rights. Please also visit: FAQs | NYC Board of Elections

“Yes, unless you are: (1) currently in prison for a felony conviction, or (2) currently on parole for a felony conviction and have not obtained a Certificate of Relief from Disabilities, a Certificate of Good Conduct or a conditional voting pardon restoring your voting rights..”

Anyone serving parole can use the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s Parolee Lookup website to check on the status of their voting rights, under the “Voting Restoration Pardon” indicator. Voting rights are revoked if a parolee violates parole or obtains a new felony conviction.

Yes, a misdemeanor does not impact your right to vote. However, you should still check your registration status if you are registered to vote and where you vote in New York City.

“Yes, you can vote as long as you are not currently on parole for a felony conviction. If you are currently on parole for a felony conviction, you can vote if you obtain a Certificate of Relief from Disabilities, a Certificate of Good Conduct or a conditional voting pardon that restores your voting rights.”

Anyone serving parole can use the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s Parolee Lookup website to check on the status of their voting rights, under the “Voting Restoration Pardon” indicator. Voting rights are revoked if a parolee violates parole or obtains a new felony conviction.

Yes, you can vote. However, you should still check your registration status if you are registered to vote and where you vote in New York City.

Yes, you can vote unless you are currently imprisoned for a “split sentence.” Upon release from imprisonment, you can register/re-register to vote.

“If you are on parole for a felony conviction you cannot vote unless you have obtained a Certificate of Relief from Disabilities, a Certificate of Good Conduct or a conditional voting pardon that specifically restores your voting rights. When you complete parole, you can vote as long as you meet other eligibility requirements. You will need to re-register to vote."

Anyone serving parole can use the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s Parolee Lookup website to check on the status of their voting rights, under the “Voting Restoration Pardon” indicator. Voting rights are revoked if a parolee violates parole or obtains a new felony conviction.