Your Civic Duty
Making Sure That Every Vote Counts

Councilman hiram monserrate votes in the 2006 general election. Tribune Photo By Ira Cohen

By the time the final ballot was cast this past November, Democratic change had swept through the state and the nation. Our new Governor, Eliot Spitzer, was brought into office, and the Democrats took control of both the House and Senate in Washington.

But at the same time, of the 1,045,684 registered voters in Queens, only 330,641 voted in the governor’s race. Many voters, it seems, did not place a high priority on placing their vote.

Though there is not a major race this year, don’t be a part of the silient majority; look over the following requirements and register to vote. To vote in Queens for any election you must be eligible to vote. Those eligible meet the following requirements:

1. Be a citizen of the United States (Includes those persons born in Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands).

2. Be a New York City resident for at least 30 days.

3. Be 18 years of age before the next election.

4. Not serving a jail sentence or on parole for a felony conviction.

5. Not adjudged mentally incompetent by a court.

6. Not claiming the right to vote elsewhere

You can register any time during the year, however, your form must be delivered or mailed at least 25 days before the next election for it to be effective for that election.

To register to vote you can either visit the Board of Elections Office in Queens at 126-06 Queens Blvd., Kew Gardens, NY 11415, (718) 730-6730, or register by mail. To register by mail obtain a registration forms by:

· Downloading the form and sending the form over the internet at http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/register.html

· Visiting a local New York State Department of Motor Vehicle office and filling out the form in-office

· Calling the New York City Board of Elections at (212) VOTE-NYC (868-3692) to receive one via mail. Use only blue or black ink and send the form to the Board of Elections in the City of New York, 32 Broadway, 7 th Floor, New York, NY 10004-1609.

Once you have registered to vote and have received a correct confirmation, the hardest part will be to show up. You will be notified by mail of your polling place. If you lose you card and need to find your polling site visit the Board of Elections of the City of New York’s Web site at vote.nyc.ny.us or call them at (212) 487-5300.

You can also find all this information on the New York City Voter Assistance Commission at www.nyc.gov/voter or by calling them at (212) 788-8384.

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