You've done your due diligence, registering to vote 25 days before the New York primary, and perhaps even changing your political party affiliation by the October 9 cutoff.
But then you show up to your local poll site on April 19, which you can locate here, and the election worker at the table can't find your name in the book of voter registration lists in front of them.
Don't worry; not all hope is lost.
You have two options, according to a New York City Board of Elections guide for poll workers: you can vote by affidavit ballot or you can request a certificate to obtain a court order.
Under the 2002 Help America Vote Act, all voters must be offered affidavit ballots even if a poll worker thinks they're not eligible.
You'll fill out your affidavit ballot by hand and seal it in an envelope. You'll also have to complete an affidavit oath form. Or, for those who have difficulty writing or need privacy, you can choose to use one of the electronic voting machines, filling out a regular ballot that the poll worker will mark with an affidavit stamp. If you chose either of these options, your ballot will be counted about a week after election day — and that's only if the Board of Elections does find your registration in the voter data base.
If you want to guarantee that your vote is counted on the day of the election, you can fill out a certificate to request a court order to cast a ballot on a machine, which you'll have to bring to your borough's Board of Elections office. There you should find a Supreme Court judge who can sign it for you. When you return to your poll site with the signed court order, you'll be all good to go.
