I’m a political junkie, but I’ve also been a vagabond over these last several years, living in more Manhattan neighborhoods that I would care to admit. I’ve used the address of my ex-, the Hungarian psychiatrist, with whom I lived for many years, as my “permanent address” for things like my voter registration. We are on very good terms, and I know I will receive mail if addressed to his place. I can’t say the same about a few of the locations where I’ve parked myself, since 2016! And, while I do have a Post Office Box in Rockefeller Center, certain applications require a physical address. I digress.

But, even having the good doctor’s delicious Upper East Side address for a decade or more, I’ve voted in at least three different locations. Voters in our precinct have moved from the big Mormon Church on East 87th Street to a high rise around Ruppert Park in the ‘90’s. From there we moved to the Church of the Holy Trinity, famous as the site of the Sex and the City wedding of Charlotte York and Trey MacDougal.  

Besides the shifting polling places, I’ve had a number of issues with voting in this corner of Manhattan. At one point, I’d been purged from the voting rolls, despite having consistent contact information. When last voting at Holy Trinity (on a rainy day), my scantron ballot had a few drips of water and wouldn’t go through the machine. I filled out a provisional ballot, by hand, but the volunteers at the polling place had no idea to do.  It mattered not, if I am honest, as our area votes overwhelmingly Democratic for most races. After posting my situation on social media, my civic-minded friends insisted that I call a voter hotline. I did. In retrospect, it’s really important for monitors to know about glitches, of all sorts, in the system.  

Given all that has gone on over the last few years, personally and politically, I started to wonder if I was even registered at this point. While it’s possible that the Democratic nominee will be obvious by the time of the New York primary in late April, it’s important to vote. For all you Single Ladies (and Gentlemen) who want to make sure they are registered, The New York City Board of Elections has a nifty site where you can check to see if you are, indeed, registered. You will also be able to locate your polling place on that site. Second, should you have any problem with voting, in the primary or general election, our own Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School, has put together some useful information. There is also a nationwide hotline that can assist: 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

Additional questions about registering to vote? You can see state-by-state information provided by the federal government.   The folks at the non-partisan League of Women Voters offers useful information, too.

Now, go Rock the Vote, ladies.