ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – The New York State Board of Elections has released a new statewide absentee ballot tracker that will allow any voter in the state to monitor the status of their absentee ballot. This new tool will help voters track their ballot and ensure their vote is counted.

The new portal is integrated with the state’s existing Voter Registration and Poll Site Search tool. The tracking system will inform voters when their absentee ballot request has been received by their County Board of Elections, and whether a ballot has been sent, received, and counted. The system will also alert voters if their ballot has a curable or non-curable defect.

Voters can request an absentee ballot for the upcoming primary and general elections by using the state’s online absentee request portal or by mailing a signed absentee request form to their County Board of Elections. Applications must be received no later than June 13 to be eligible to vote in the June 28 primary election. Voters can print an application from the state website if preferred.

Voters planning to vote by absentee ballot will no longer be able to vote in person on a machine if an absentee ballot has been issued. This new rule requires voters who have been issued an absentee ballot and later decide to cast their ballot in person to vote using an affidavit ballot.

During the canvassing process, the voter’s County Board of Elections will decide whether the voter’s absentee ballot has already been counted. If it was, the affidavit will be set aside and not counted. If the absentee ballot has not arrived and been counted, then the voter’s affidavit ballot will be counted. The new tracking tool will show whether a voter’s absentee or affidavit ballot was counted for any given election.

If you have any questions, contact your local Board of Elections or John Conklin or Jennifer Wilson at the State Board of Elections. Conklin and Wilson can be reached by phone at (518) 474-1953 or by email at INFO@elections.ny.gov.