Election Day hotline help available to New Yorkers

A hotline to help troubleshoot and resolve a range of issues encountered by voters at the polls during the primary on Tuesday, April 19 has been established by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

Voters experiencing problems or issues at the polls can call the hotline at 800-771-7755 or email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov at any time between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. The hotline will be staffed by attorneys and staff in the AG’s Civil Rights Bureau.

“Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy, and my office is deeply committed to ensuring equal access for all eligible voters on election day,”  Schneiderman said. “I urge all New Yorkers to immediately contact my office if they face any barriers or issues that prevent them from casting an effective ballot.”

In addition, the AG’s office will focus on barriers impacting voters with disabilities, voter intimidation reports, and issues faced by minority voters.

New York has a closed primary system. In order to vote in a party’s primary election, a voter must be affiliated with that party.  For the presidential primary on Tuesday, April 19, only the Republican and Democratic Parties are holding elections.

Newly-registered voters are eligible to participate in the presidential primary if the voter submitted a registration application on or before March 25, 2016 and is affiliated with either the Republican or Democratic Party.  Previously registered voters are eligible to participate in the presidential primary if they were affiliated with the Republican or Democratic primary as of October 9, 2015. Any change to party enrollment submitted after October 9, 2015, will not take effect until after the November 2016 general election.