There are 62 Boards of Elections in New York State, one in each county and one for each of the five boroughs of New York City. Each Board has primary responsibility for the conduct of elections within its jurisdiction. Their responsibilities include the registration of voters, certification of candidates for the ballot, maintenance and set-up of voting machines, appointment and training of Election Inspectors and Voting Machine Custodians and canvassing and certifying of all election results.
To ensure fairness in the election system, Board Commissioners and other Board staff are selected equally from the two major parties, currently Republicans and Democrats. This is true of both office or “regular” staff and Election Inspectors and others who work at poll sites on Election Day.
The Onondaga County Board of Elections is a County Office, responsible for all Federal, State, County, City and Town elections in Onondaga County. Under present law, except for the Villages of Camillus, East Syracuse, Elbridge, Manlius, North Syracuse, Solvay and Tully, all other village and school elections, as well as fire and other special district elections, do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Board of Elections.
The structure, responsibilities and duties of the Board are set forth in the New York State Election law.
