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  • Registering to vote has never been as easy - now that you can do it online.

    Qualifications to Register to Vote:

    • be a United States citizen;
    • be 18 years old by December 31 of the year in which you file this form (note: you must be 18 years old by the date of the general, primary or other election in order to vote in that election);
    • live at your present address at least 30 days before an election;
    • not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction and;
    • not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court;
    • not claim the right to vote elsewhere.

  • The New York State Board of Elections website.

    • At this site you can register online (you'll need Adobe Acrobat reader), request a registration be sent to you, change your name/address/party enrollment if already registered, find information if you're in the Armed Forces or live overseas, confirm that you're registered and your voting location, find a list of who's on the ballot, and learn about the new voting machines.
    • Documents are available in English and Spanish.
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  • Agency Missions
    “…To furnish manpower to the Defense Department during a national emergency, to manage alternative service for men classified as conscientious objectors, and to register, with only a few exceptions, all male U.S. citizens and male immigrants residing in the United States who are ages 18 through 25...”

    Registration is a way our government keeps a list of names of men from which to draw in case of a national emergency requiring rapid expansion of our Armed Forces. By registering all young men, Selective Service ensures that a future draft will be fair and equitable.

    NOTE:  Registering with Selective Service does not mean you are joining the military.

    All male U.S. citizens and male immigrants, who are 18 through 25, are required to register with Selective Service.

    It's important to know that even though he is registered, a man will not automatically be inducted into the military. In a crisis requiring a draft, men would be called in a sequence determined by random lottery number and year of birth. Then, they would be examined for mental, physical, and moral fitness by the military before being deferred or exempted from military service or inducted into the Armed Forces.

    • The Selective Service System has not now, or in the past, collected or shared any information which would indicate a man's immigration status, either documented or undocumented. Selective Service has no authority to collect such information, has no use for it, and it is irrelevant to the registration requirement. Consequently, there is no immigration data to share with anyone.

     

    Registration is the Law

    Register to be Eligible for Benefits and Programs Linked to Registration —

    A young man who fails to register with Selective Service may be ineligible for opportunities that may be important to his future. He must register to be eligible for federal student financial aid, state-funded student financial aid in many states, most federal employment, some state employment, security clearance for contractors, job training under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (formerly known as the Workforce Investment Act), and U.S. citizenship for immigrant men.

    Failing to register or comply with the Military Selective Service Act is a felony punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 or a prison term of up to five years, or a combination of both. Also, a person who knowingly counsels, aids, or abets another to fail to comply with the Act is subject to the same penalties.
Last Modified on June 18, 2019