VOTING IN AN ELECTION, WHETHER IT'S STATE, LOCAL OR FEDERAL, MEANS YOU GET TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS OF SELECTING LEADERS OR OFFICIALS THAT MAKE DECISIONS THAT IMPACT YOU.

SO TODAY WE'RE GOING TO WALK THROUGH THE PROCESS OF HOW TO VOTE.

THE FIRST STEP TO VOTING IS REGISTERING, WHICH YOU CAN DO ONLINE WITH THE NEW YORK STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS OR IN PERSON.

TO REGISTER IN PERSON, YOU CAN EITHER GO TO YOUR LOCAL ELECTION OFFICE OR THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES.

WHEN I REGISTERED TO VOTE IN THE STATE, I DID IT AT THE DMV WHERE I ALSO GOT A NEW DRIVER'S LICENSE AND SAVED MYSELF A TRIP TO ANOTHER STATE BUILDING.

YOU CAN ALSO PRINT OUT THE NEW YORK STATE VOTER REGISTRATION FORM, FILL IT OUT, AND MAIL IT IN.

YOU JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION TO FILL OUT, ALL THE BLANKS APPROPRIATELY, BRING IDENTIFICATION WITH YOU TO REGISTER.

IF YOU DON'T, YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO BRING ID THE FIRST TIME YOU SHOW UP TO VOTE IN PERSON.

THERE ARE DEADLINES TO REGISTER TO VOTE AHEAD OF ELECTIONS, WHICH CAN BE FOUND ON THE NEW YORK STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS WEBSITE.

TO VOTE, NEW YORKERS HAVE TO REGISTER 10 DAYS BEFORE ELECTION DAY.

ONCE YOU REGISTER TO VOTE, YOU ARE READY TO GO.

THE NEXT STEP IS FINDING YOUR LOCAL POLLING LOCATION, AND IF YOU'RE UNABLE TO GO TO THE POLLS IN YOUR DISTRICT FOR ELECTION DAY, YOU CAN VOTE BY MAIL.

TO VOTE BY MAIL, YOU SIMPLY FILL OUT A MAIL IN BALLOT APPLICATION WHICH YOU CAN DO ONLINE OR VIA MAIL.

FOR THOSE VOTING IN PERSON, YOU CAN FIND OUT WHERE THE CLOSEST LOCATION TO VOTE IS TO YOU ON THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS WEBSITE.

I SIMPLY TYPE IN MY INFORMATION ON VOTERLOOKUP.ELECTIONS.NY.GOV AND, POOF, THE WEBSITE GENERATES THE ALBANY PUBLIC LIBRARY WHERE I CAN VOTE ON ELECTION DAY.

BUT LET'S SAY I CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE POLLS ON ELECTION DAY.

I CAN ALSO VOTE EARLY, SO I SIMPLY CLICK ON THE EARLY VOTING PLACE BOX HERE AND IT SHOWS ME SEVERAL EARLY VOTING SITE LOCATIONS.

NOW THAT WE'VE REVIEWED WHERE TO GO, THE NEXT STEP IS USING THE VOTING MACHINES AT THE POLLS.

SINCE YOU'VE ALREADY REGISTERED TO VOTE AT THIS POINT, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO WHEN YOU WALK IN IS TELL THE POLL WORKER YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.

THEY WILL HAND YOU YOUR BALLOT AND YOU TAKE IT INTO A PRIVATE VOTING BOOTH TO MAKE YOUR CHOICES.

SO WHEN YOU'VE MADE YOUR CHOICES AND YOU ARE READY TO OFFICIALLY SUBMIT YOUR VOTE, YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE YOUR BALLOT AND SUBMIT IT INTO A VOTING MACHINE LIKE THE ONE BEHIND ME, WHICH I'M GOING TO DEMONSTRATE RIGHT NOW.

I'M GOING TO TAKE MY BALLOT AND INSERT IT INTO THE MACHINE LIKE THIS.

I'M GOING TO LINE UP MY ARROWS HERE, YOU DON'T NECESSARILY NEED TO DO THAT.

BUT JUST TO BE SAFE, LET'S MAKE SURE IT GOES IN CORRECTLY.

AND THE SCREEN SHOULD PULL UP THAT IT'S COUNTING MY BALLOT.

YOU SHOULD SEE ON THE SCREEN THAT YOUR BALLOT WAS INSERTED, LET'S JUST GIVE IT A SECOND.

THE SCREEN IS SHOWING ME THE NUMBER WENT UP COUNTING MY BALLOT SO I NOW KNOW I AM GOOD TO GO.

THE VOTING MACHINES AT THE POLLS SHOULD ACCEPT YOUR BALLOT WITH NO ISSUES.

BUT TO ENSURE THAT HAPPENS LET'S REVIEW A FEW COMMON ERRORS THAT COULD PREVENT YOUR BALLOT FROM PROPERLY BEING PROCESSED.

SO I HAVE WITH ME HERE AN IMPROPERLY FILLED OUT BALLOT WHICH MEANS THERE ARE MARKS STRAYING FAR OUTSIDE OF THE BUBBLE CIRCLES.

SO WE'RE GOING TO PUT THIS INTO THE VOTING MACHINE AND SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SUBMIT A BALLOT THAT IS IMPROPERLY MARKED.

SO WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THE BALLOT AND I'M GOING TO TRY AND PUT IT INTO THE MACHINE HERE AND IT'S GOING TO BRING UP AN ERROR AND IT'S GOING TO GIVE IT BACK TO ME.

SO IT'S TELLING ME THAT THERE ARE AMBIGUOUS MARKS WHICH MEANS THE VOTING MACHINE WILL NOT COUNT IT AND I NEED TO ASK MY POLL WORKER FOR A NEW BALLOT SINCE THE MARKS ARE NOT GOING TO BE COUNTED ON THIS BALLOT.

MCGRATH SAYS IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT VOTERS LOOK AT BOTH SIDES OF THE BALLOT AND ONLY FILL OUT THE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES ALLOWED PER RACE.

IF YOU CHOOSE TWO FOR PRESIDENT, FOR EXAMPLE, THIS IS AN OVERVOTE AND THE MACHINE WILL NOT COUNT YOUR BALLOT.

FOR NEW YORKERS WHO NEED ACCOMMODATION FOR DISABILITIES OR LANGUAGE, THERE ARE OPTIONS.

ALL POLL SITES HAVE WHAT'S CALLED A BALLOT MARKING DEVICE, A BMD, WHICH ANY VOTER IS ENTITLED TO USE IF THEY REQUEST IT.

THAT MAY ASSIST SOMEONE WITH ACCESSIBLE VOTING.

IN TERMS OF LANGUAGE ACCESS, IN CERTAIN AREAS OF THE STATE THERE ARE MULTILINGUAL BALLOTS AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, KOREAN, CHINESE AND BENGALI, AND THAT'S BASED ON THE PERCENTAGE OF VOTERS THAT LIVE IN THAT AREA SPEAKING THAT LANGUAGE.

ALSO IN NEW YORK CITY, WE ALSO HAVE INTERPRETERS AT THE POLLS AS WELL TO HELP FOLKS.

CURRENTLY, SPANISH, CHINESE, KOREAN AND BENGALI ARE OFFERED IN ABOUT A HANDFUL OF COUNTIES ACROSS THE STATE, PRIMARILY IN THE BOROUGHS OF NEW YORK CITY.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT MULTILINGUAL BALLOTS, YOU CAN CONTACT YOUR LOCAL COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT CASTING YOUR BALLOT EARLY OR ON ELECTION DAY, DON'T BE AFRAID TO TALK TO YOUR LOCAL POLL WORKER AND MAKE SURE YOU GRAB AN "I VOTED" STICKER ON THE WAY OUT.

THAT'S PERSONALLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE PROCESS.

ELISE KLINE, NEW YORK NOW.