Voting FAQs

You can verify your NYS registration here. 
 

If you registered locally but cannot confirm your registration status, please get in contact with us! It is possible the BOE misspelled your name or address or made another error on the form. We maintain internal records of all registrations, including documentation of your form. Election@Bard has a complete list of all registered voters in the Town of Red Hook (including campus, Tivoli, Red Hook Village, Barrytown, and the greater Town of Red Hook) and can be reached at [email protected]. 

Election Day is Tuesday, November 8th, 2022. 

On-campus students:

If you're registered on campus or in Red Hook’s Election District 5 (which does not include Tivoli or Red Hook), you can vote at the Bertelsmann Campus Center Multi-Purpose Room which will be open to voters from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm. 
 

Live in Tivoli and vote locally? Your polling location is the Tivoli Firehouse.

The Village of Red Hook contains multiple polling locations, and yours is determined by your address. You can find your location here.
 

Please note: If you have moved since you last registered, report to the polling place that corresponds with your current address, and request an affidavit ballot.
 

2022 is a Midterm Election year. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as 35 seats of the U.S. Senate, are on the ballot. 
Live on campus? Preview your ballot here.
You can also use this Ballotpedia tool to generate a personalized ballot, wherever you're registered!

Yes. According to New York State Law, “Even if you request or cast and return an absentee ballot, you may still go to the polls and vote in person.” Of course, this is only the case if you are registered in the district where you try to vote.

Alternatively, you may drop off your completed absentee ballot at a designated Early Voting site during open hours. Find more information regarding Early Voting sites here. 

In NYS, the deadline to take part in the 2022 Midterm elections was on Friday, October 14th. If you missed the deadline, register to vote so you can participate next time!

You can still vote if you have moved within the same County. If you have moved off campus to Tivoli or to Red Hook (or anywhere else in Dutchess County), you may still vote, but you must go to the district where you live and complete an affidavit ballot (this is a written ballot which will be counted if the information you provide is accurate). If you moved states or counties and have not registered, you will not be able to vote. You should register and vote for the next election.

If you moved within the same voting district, say, from one part of campus to another, you may still vote at Bard MPR. 

If you are in the wrong polling site and need transportation, Election@Bard can help you get to the right polling place. You can DM us on Instagram @ElectionAtBard.

Your name might be misspelled. Ask them to look again. 

If you have moved since registering to vote, you may be registered elsewhere. You can verify your NYS registration here. Try inputting a previous residential address. 

If you remember registering to vote but do not appear in the rolls, contact us. We can help!

Election inspectors are there to help. There will be officials from Bard College registered as “poll watchers” present in the MPR polling station. Feel free to ask for help or clarification of your rights, but not any information about whom to vote for.

You may be “challenged” by a poll watcher for several reasons. They might question your residential address, your signature, or your identity. Should this occur, you can still vote using the voting machine. You will only be required to take an oath confirming that the information you are providing is accurate. Please contact Election@Bard should you face any difficulty at the polls. 

You do not need to bring ID if you've successfully voted locally in the past, or if you provided a social security number (SSN) or NYS ID at the time of registration.

If you are a first-time voter who did not provide ID at the time of registration, you may be asked to provide ID at the polls. 

Acceptable forms of ID include some sort of valid photo identification. The ID is for identification purposes only and need not contain your current address. An unexpired Bard College photo ID is acceptable should it reflect your legal name.

No. If you are 'electioneering,' or visibly wearing a button or T-shirt that is advocating for a candidate/political party, you may be asked to leave the polling site.

Electioneering also includes “soliciting votes or distributing, wearing or carrying political literature, posters, banners or buttons or displaying refreshments showing a candidate or party’s name.” 

Election@Bard & The Center for Civic Engagement are committed to supporting students navigating the voting process and making elections accessible for all. 

Bard's On-Campus Polling Place is a recent win for The College and its students. Previously, on-campus students shuttled to St. John's Episcopal Church in Barrytown, the assigned polling location for District 5. This polling location was non-ADA-compliant and inaccessible via public transportation, just to name a few issues. Now, our students have the option to vote at the Campus Center!
 

To ensure that voting is safe, the following special rules will be in force:

1)   The Bertelsmann Campus Center will be open on a limited basis on Election Day; please check your Bard email for more information about what will be and will not be open. Classes previously scheduled in the Campus Center might be moved or rescheduled; you should consult with your professors. You cannot cross through the Campus Center and if you are picking up mail, you must follow electioneering rules (see below).
2)   Some parking from North Ravine Road will be reserved for voters.  Unless otherwise labeled, non-voters can park as usual in the surrounding parking lots.
3)     Due to electioneering rules, non-voters are expected to remain at least 100 feet away from the Multi-Purpose Room. This will be marked off by ropes, both inside and outside the building. 
4)      Electioneering rules are in effect. No one who is within 100 feet of the polling place, including voters, can advocate for a candidate or wear buttons, hats, shirts, masks or other clothing that display the name of a party or political candidate or one of their slogans. 
5)    Other safety issues: Senior administrators and staff will be present at the polling site all day. We expect any non-Bard voters who come to campus to come, park, vote and leave peacefully and we equally expect the Bard community to treat voters with respect and to allow them to come, vote, and leave in peace. The other parts of campus remain closed except for voters and poll workers and those who have received specific exemptions.

At the polls, there are “Elections Inspectors,” or “poll workers” from both major political parties, who are hired by the Board of Elections and trained to oversee the voting process. They handle the conduct at the polls and arbiters of disputes.

The Elections Inspectors will ask you for your name, to verify your address, and your signature. You may be asked to provide identification if you did not provide a SSN or other acceptable form of ID at the time of registration. 

There are also poll watchers, who often are partisan officials from each party. These poll watchers only may observe proceedings. You do not have to answer their questions. likely what you say can be used against you. They do not have the right to ask you questions about where you live, who you will vote for, where you are from, etc. They may issue a “challenge,” but this will not stop you from voting: that decision can only be made by election inspectors.

There will be officials from Bard College registered as “poll watchers” present in the MPR polling station. Feel free to ask for help or clarification of your rights, but not any information about whom to vote for.