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 Board Building
County Emblem
   
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128 East Buffalo Street, Ithaca, New York 14850
Phone: 607-274-5522, Fax 607-274-5533
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Information
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Voter Registration Form
Registration Information
All Forms
Where do I Vote?
New York State Voter Look Up
Voter Education (Vote-NY.com)
Frequently Asked Questions
Political Parties Info
Voting Machines
NY State Board of Elections
 
 

Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 4:30pm

 
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Calendar
  
 

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2010

  
  Feb. 2-9 - Dates for filing independent nominating petitions for March Village elections.  
  March 5 - Last day to register and be eligible to vote in the March Village elections.  
  March 9 - Last day to receive absentee application by mail for March Village elections.  
 

March 16 - Village Elections in Cayuga Heights, Dryden, Groton and Trumansburg

  
     
April 27 - Lansing Village Election (Date pending)
September 14 - Primary Election (Date pending)
November 2 - General Election
 
     

“The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

      
  Welcome!  
 

Thank you for visiting the Tompkins County Board of Elections Web site. Our office is dedicated to ensuring that all eligible residents have the opportunity to register and vote. This site includes voter forms and useful information. We are committed to keeping you aware of changes to the Election Law and how those changes affect voting in Tompkins County. As always, our office is here to assist you in any way we can.

Commissioners

Stephen M. DeWitt (D) & Elizabeth W. Cree (R)
 
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BOE News:
 
  December 15 - New Voting Machines Approved - The New York State Board of Elections certified electronic voting machines from Dominion and ES&S. (See recommendation letter from Election Operations Unit for more details.) City of Ithaca voters had a chance to use the Dominion optical scan machine in last November's general election as part of our participation in a pilot project. Next year, all county voters will use these machines. Hands on demos will be scheduled throughout the county in 2010.
   
  November 28 - We were pleased to receive a couple of nice mentions in the Ithaca Journal recently:

"Laurel: From Susan Henninger of Trumansburg and Kathleen Yen of Ithaca on behalf of the Tompkins County League of Women Voters to the following groups for making the first "Take Me to Vote!" program a success: the Board of Elections Commissioners Elizabeth Cree and Steve DeWitt and all the dedicated poll workers in Tompkins County; the league's Voter Service Committee for providing helpful feedback every step of the way; school districts in Dryden, Groton, Newfield and Trumansburg as well as Immaculate Conception and the Ithaca City School District for distributing voting information and TMTV certificates to teachers and children.

Special thanks to Connie Patterson and her students at Cayuga Heights Elementary School who worked with the league to hold a mock voter registration activity. The local media for helping make voters aware of the Take Me to Vote! Program and for encouraging readers to teach students civic responsibility.

Finally, kudos to all of the parents, caregivers and young people who took the time to vote on Election Day."
   
  And on Nov. 20 we got a nice mention in Larry Roberts' Independent Living column. He asked colleagues about things that were getting better or things to be thankful for, and Teri Reinemann, statewide systems advocate, said "It's wonderful that finally the state has begun to implement the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) allowing people with disabilities, especially people who are blind, to vote privately and independently. It's great that the Tompkins County Board of Elections has been so proactive and has taken the lead in assuring that people can vote easily."
   
  November 9 - Voters in the City of Ithaca used an optical scan voting system for the first time for the November 3 General Election. On Friday November 6, the Board of Elections conducted an audit to see if the machines tabulated correctly, as per New York State election law.

After a random drawing, 5 of the 10 machines were selected to be audited. Two bipartisan teams manually counted the original paper ballots, and the results were compared to the machine’s totals. No discrepancies were found.

Next year all polling places in Tompkins County will use the optical scan voting system.
   
 

October 30 - A couple of videos that examine our new optical scan voting system (used this year in the City of Ithaca, only) are now available for viewing on the web (Windows Media Player required):
         

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Did You Know...

ABSENTEE VOTING IN TOMPKINS COUNTY

Q: Who is eligible for an absentee ballot?
A: Any registered voter who will be unable to personally appear at the polls because he/she;
1.  Unavoidably absent from the county of his residence, or because his duties, occupation, business or studies require him to be elsewhere on Election Day,
2.  Absent from county of residence because of vacation,
3.  Inmate or patient of veterans administration hospital,
4.  Absent from county due to accompanying a spouse, parent or child who would be entitled to an absentee ballot,
5.  Detained in jail awaiting trial, action by grand jury, or confined in prison after conviction for an offense other than a felony,
6.  Ill or physically disabled temporary or permanent. (Link to information specifically for homebound Senior Citizens)

See left column for links to absentee applications and more information, right column for important absentee dates.

 

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The Board of Elections meets the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of every month at 10:00 am in conference room 103 at the Board office, 128 E. Buffalo St. The public is invited to attend.
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For questions on content or to report invalid links on the Board of Elections web site, please contact webmaster Tom M. Paolangeli.

Last Updated Feb. 8, 2010