Voting

The Tompkins County Board of Elections is a rich source of information. If you ever need details you can visit their site or call them at  (607) 274-5522.

Early Voting

Early voting is available for some days before every major election. To see when it's available, go to the Board of Elections' early voting page.

Find Your Voting Location

You vote at a polling place. Several districts may vote at a particular polling place.

You can find your polling place with "Voter Lookup," the NY State Voter registration page (https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov).

VoterLookUp allows you to:

  • Confirm you are registered to vote in Tompkins County
  • Confirm your current party affiliation and your voter status
  • Identify your exact polling place and address
  • Identify your election and voting districts

For more information, you can call the Tompkins County Board of Elections  at 274-5522 or see the Board of Elections' online maps. On those maps, boundaries in red are for county election districts, while boundaries in yellow are for town or city election districts. Polling places are marked.

Who Can Vote in New York State

Everyone who is a U.S. citizen, 18 years of age or older, can register to vote in New York State. You do not need to be enrolled in a political party to vote in a general election, but you do need to be enrolled in a party to vote in that party’s primary. You must already be registered to vote before Election Day. Call the Tompkins County Board of Elections (274-5522) for the deadline. Here is information on how to register.

Political Parties in New York State

The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in New York State; the other is the Republican Party. There are other political parties as well. If you register to vote but do not enroll in a political party, you are “unaffiliated.” Some people call this being an “independent,” but it is not the same thing as being enrolled in the Independence Party.

Decoding Districts and Wards

  • Election District or Ward
    • This identifies where you vote, not for whom you vote. In an election you go to the same place regardless of who you are voting for.
  • County Legislative District 
    • Elects Tompkins County Legislators
    • Legislative districts are generally aligned with political boundaries but, in order to balance the population between districts, some districts may diverge from those political boundaries.
    • There are 14 Legislative Districts in Tompkins County
  • NY State Senate District
    • Elects New York State Senators
    • Tompkins County is part of State Senate District 52
  • NY State Assembly District 
    • Elects NY State Assembly members
    • Tompkins County is entirely in NYS Assembly District 125
    • There are 150 Assembly Districts in NY State Assembly
  • NY Congressional District 
    • Elects Representatives to the United States House of Representatives
    • Tompkins County is in NYS Congressional District 19
    • United States Congressional Districts in NY State: 26

Paid for by the Tompkins County Democratic Committee