5-202. Local registration; provision for. 1. The board of inspectors for every election district shall meet for the purpose of taking the registration of voters not earlier than the sixth Saturday or later than the fourth Saturday before each general election. During such period, in the city of New York and in counties having a population of three hundred thousand or more, the board shall hold two meetings each year, including at least one on a Saturday. During such period, in all other counties, the board shall hold one meeting each year, on a Saturday, except that in years in which a president of the United States is to be elected, the board shall hold two such meetings, including at least one on a Saturday. If the polling place of an election district is located in a building owned by a religious organization or used by it as a place of worship, the building will not be required to be open for voter registration on any Saturday if this is contrary to the religious beliefs of the religious organization. The dates of such meetings and any additional meetings that the board of elections may, in its discretion, direct to be held shall be determined by the board of elections except that no such meeting shall be held on the religious holidays of Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashana, Simchas Torah, Shmini Atzereth or Succoth. The board of elections shall also determine the hours for conducting all such meetings, provided, however, that there shall be not less than seven consecutive hours for registration on a Saturday and not less than three and one-half consecutive hours on any other meeting day. The days and hours of registration shall be uniform throughout the county and in the city of New York throughout the city, and meetings shall begin not earlier than six o'clock in the morning and continue not later than half-past ten o'clock in the evening and no Saturday meeting shall end before nine o'clock in the evening.
2. Local registration shall always be received by two members of the local board of inspectors, representing respectively the two political parties as provided herein for the appointment of inspectors.
3. The last day of local registration shall be uniform throughout the state and such registration day shall be designated by the state board of elections not later than the first day of June preceding the general election in each year. Such statewide registration day shall be one of the registration days hereinabove provided in this section, provided, however, that in any year in which presidential and vice-presidential electors are to be elected such day shall not be more than thirty days before the general election. If the polling place of an election district is located in a building owned by a religious organization or used by it as a place of worship, the building will not be required to be open for voter registration on a Saturday if this is contrary to the religious beliefs of the religious organization.
4. Each board of elections shall make and file in its office and with the state board of elections a determination as to the dates and hours for local registration not later than the tenth day of July next preceding the general election in each year, and shall publish such dates and hours at least once in the two week period preceding the first day of such registration. Such publication shall be in two newspapers published within the county. If the county contains a city or cities, at least one of such newspapers shall be published in the city, or the largest city, if there be more than one.
5. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of this chapter, in any year the board of elections may provide that a single place and a single board of inspectors shall be used for taking the local registration of two or more election districts provided that such board shall find that more than one-half the anticipated registrants in such districts are already registered permanently. In cities, notice of such action shall be published with the list of registration places as provided in this chapter. In towns, the board of elections shall cause notice of such action with the location of the registration place designated for such election district to be posted in five conspicuous public places within each affected election district or to be published in the manner provided by this chapter for the optional publication of places of registration. In all cases where notice is given by publication, the board of elections shall cause notice of such action, with the location of the registration place designated for such election district to be posted, on the days of registration, at the entrance to the regular polling place for each affected election district.
6. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, any board of elections, and in the city of New York, the board of elections of the city of New York, may, by resolution adopted not later than the first day of July in any year, except a year in which presidential and vice presidential electors are to be elected, provide that no meeting for local registration shall be held in the county or the city of New York. If a board of elections or the board of elections of the city of New York adopts a resolution eliminating meetings for local registration, such resolution shall remain in effect for such year and each succeeding year, except years in which presidential and vice presidential electors are to be elected, unless it is thereafter repealed by a resolution adopted at least sixty days prior to the first day for holding local registrations as provided for under the provisions of this article.
Last modified: February 3, 2019