New York: Do you need an ID to vote?
Most New York voters do not show ID at the polls; they give their name and address and sign the poll book.
Election Law § 8-302 has voters give their name and residence address to the inspectors, and sign the poll book. ID is required only when the poll book is flagged because the voter's identity was not yet verified under the federal Help America Vote Act, usually a new registrant. A flagged voter who cannot show ID may vote only by affidavit ballot.
What the law says
The voter shall give the voter's name and the voter's residence address to the inspectors. ... If a voter's name appears in the ledger or computer generated registration list with a notation indicating that the voter's identity was not yet verified as required by the federal Help America Vote Act, the inspector shall require that the voter produce one of the following types of identification
Sources
- N.Y. Election Law § 8-302 Official · nysenate.gov
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- New York State Board of Elections
- Website
- elections.ny.gov
How bordering states compare
- Connecticut ID required, non-photo acceptedConnecticut asks for ID, including non-photo items such as a Social Security card; a voter without ID can sign a sworn statement instead.
- Massachusetts No ID document requiredMassachusetts does not require most in-person voters to show ID. A voter who is asked for ID and has none can still vote.
- New Jersey No ID document requiredMost New Jersey voters don't show ID at the polls. Only certain first-time or unverified registrants must, and photo and non-photo documents count.
- Pennsylvania No ID document requiredPennsylvania voters show ID only the first time they vote at a polling place; returning voters do not.
- Vermont No ID document requiredVermont doesn't require ID at the polls; voters state their name and are checked off the voter list.