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Voter Registration Day today — League of Women Voters offer help

The League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island and the North Fork will be at tables on Shelter Island, North Fork, Riverhead and the South Fork for National Voter Registration Day,  todaay, Tuesday ,Sept. 22, giving out forms and answering questions.

This year, when people have so many voting questions, even voters who are already registered can access information at these locations.

On Shelter Island, the table will be at the Public Library from 2 to 5 p.m. today. At the tables, League members will distribute and answer questions about: voter registration forms — the deadline is Oct. 9 — and absentee ballot applications — the application deadline is Oct. 27, while the mail-in postmark deadline is Nov. 3.

Voter registration forms are also available online by going to the New York State Board of Elections website at elections.ny.gov or the Suffolk County Board of Elections website at suffolkvotes.com.

New this year, instead of filling out and mailing in an absentee ballot application, registered voters can also apply for a ballot online, by going to:  absenteeballot.elections.ny.gov/.

After requesting a ballot there, you will receive an emailed confirmation. Ballots will be mailed out after Sept. 18.

The League will also be distributing a flyer with the list of all 12 sites and times for early voting in Suffolk County, which takes place on nine days from Saturday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 1, before the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Suffolk County registered voters may vote at any of the early voting sites in Suffolk County, not only the location in their town. There is no early voting site as yet on Shelter Island, although Supervisor Gerry Siller and elected officials have been calling on the Suffolk County Board of Elections to make one available, as in past years.

And while Suffolk County is not planning on having collection boxes for absentee ballots, a voter or a friend may drop off the absentee ballot at the early voting site, Oct. 24 through Nov. 1, or at the person’s polling place on Election Day, Nov. 3.

Now in its ninth year, National Voter Registration Day was established in 2012 on the fourth Tuesday in September and boasts thousands of partnering organizations throughout the United States. Its purpose is to bring attention to the importance of registering to vote on time.

Many miss out on voting, says the League, because they miss the voter registration deadline, or move or change their name without re-registering.

Those with questions can contact the League at 631-324-4637 or my.lwv.org/new-york/hamptons or the Suffolk County Board of Elections at 631-852-4500 or suffolkvotes.com.