Adult Court Voting Rights

If I have the requisite voting qualifications of age, citizenship and residency, can I vote:

Click a topic, or press the enter key on a topic, to reveal its answer.

If I have a criminal record?

“Yes, as long as you are not currently in prison for a felony conviction or on parole for a felony conviction. If you are currently on parole, you can still vote if you have a Certificate of Relief from Disabilities, a Certificate of Good Conduct or a conditional voting pardon that restores your voting rights. You can vote if you are currently in jail for a misdemeanor charge, or you are on probation, or if you have completed your maximum prison sentence, and are not on parole on any charge.”

Anyone serving parole can use the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s Parolee Lookup website to check on the status of their voting rights, under the “Voting Restoration Pardon” indicator. Voting rights are revoked if a parolee violates parole or obtains a new felony conviction.

If I have been convicted of a felony?

“Yes, unless you are: (1) currently in prison for a felony conviction, or (2) currently on parole for a felony conviction and have not obtained a Certificate of Relief from Disabilities, a Certificate of Good Conduct or a conditional voting pardon restoring your voting rights..”

Anyone serving parole can use the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s Parolee Lookup website to check on the status of their voting rights, under the “Voting Restoration Pardon” indicator. Voting rights are revoked if a parolee violates parole or obtains a new felony conviction.

If I have been convicted of a misdemeanor?

Yes, a misdemeanor does not impact your right to vote. However, you should still check your registration status at the following link: https://voterlookup.elections.state.ny.us/votersearch.aspx. This link will inform you if you are registered to vote and where you vote in New York City.

If I was recently released from the NYC Department of Correction?

“Yes, you can vote as long as you are not currently on parole for a felony conviction. If you are currently on parole for a felony conviction, you can vote if you obtain a Certificate of Relief from Disabilities, a Certificate of Good Conduct or a conditional voting pardon that restores your voting rights.”

Anyone serving parole can use the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s Parolee Lookup website to check on the status of their voting rights, under the “Voting Restoration Pardon” indicator. Voting rights are revoked if a parolee violates parole or obtains a new felony conviction.

If I am on probation and was convicted of a misdemeanor?

Yes, you can vote. However, you should still check your registration status at the following link: https://voterlookup.elections.state.ny.us/votersearch.aspx. This link will inform you if you are registered to vote and where you vote in New York City.

If I am on probation and was convicted of a felony?

Yes, you can vote unless you are currently imprisoned for a “split sentence.” Upon release from imprisonment, you can register/re-register to vote.

If I am on parole?

“If you are on parole for a felony conviction you cannot vote unless you have obtained a Certificate of Relief from Disabilities, a Certificate of Good Conduct or a conditional voting pardon that specifically restores your voting rights. When you complete parole, you can vote as long as you meet other eligibility requirements. You will need to re-register to vote."

Anyone serving parole can use the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s Parolee Lookup website to check on the status of their voting rights, under the “Voting Restoration Pardon” indicator. Voting rights are revoked if a parolee violates parole or obtains a new felony conviction.

To learn more about your rights, check out the fact sheet created by the Brennan Center for Justice. If you meet the eligibility requirements, please register to vote.