2021 New York Laws
ELN - Election
Article 8 - Conduct of Elections
Title 3 - Casting the Ballot
8-304 - Voters; Signature Identification.

§  8-304.  Voters;  signature identification. 1. A person before being
  allowed to vote shall be required, except as provided in  this  chapter,
  to  sign  his  or  her  name on the back of his or her registration poll
  record on the first line reserved for his or her signature at  the  time
  of  election  which  is  not filled with a previous signature, or in the
  space provided in the computer generated registration list reserved  for
  the  voter's  signature.  The  two  inspectors  in  charge shall satisfy
  themselves  by  a  comparison  of  this  signature  with   the   voter's
  registration  signature and by comparison of the voter's appearance with
  the descriptive material on the face of  the  registration  poll  record
  that  the  voter is the person registered. If they are so satisfied they
  shall enter the other information required for the election on the  same
  line  with  the  voter's  latest  signature,  shall  sign their names or
  initials in the spaces provided therefor, and shall permit the applicant
  to vote. Any inspector or inspectors not satisfied shall  challenge  the
  applicant forthwith.
2.  If  a  person  who  alleges  an  inability to sign his or her name
  presents himself or herself to  vote,  the  board  of  inspectors  shall
  permit such person to vote, unless challenged on other grounds, provided
  the  voter  had  been  permitted to register without signing the voter's
  name. The board shall enter the words "Unable to Sign" in the  space  on
  the  voter's registration poll record reserved for the voter's signature
  or on the  line  or  space  the  computer  generated  registration  list
  reserved  for  the  voter's  signature  at such election. If the voter's
  signature appears  upon  the  voter's  registration  record  or  in  the
  computer generated registration list the board shall challenge the voter
  forthwith,  except that if such a person claims that he or she is unable
  to sign his or her name by reason  of  a  physical  disability  incurred
  since the voter's registration, the board, if convinced of the existence
  of  such  disability,  shall  permit him or her to vote, shall enter the
  words "Unable to Sign" and a brief description of such disability in the
  space reserved for the voter's  signature  at  such  election.  At  each
  subsequent election, if such disability still exists, the voter shall be
  entitled to vote without signing their name and the board of inspectors,
  without  further notation, shall enter the words "Unable to Sign" in the
  space reserved for the voter's signature at such election.
3. The voter's facsimile signature shall be effectively concealed from
  the voter by a blotter or other means until after the voter  shall  have
  completed the signature.
4.  In any case where a person who has heretofore voted has placed his
  voting signature on the back of his  registration  poll  record  on  the
  first  or  any  succeeding  line  or  lines  at  the time or times of an
  election, instead of on the last line of the space thereon  required  to
  be  reserved  for  such  voting signatures and on any lines next running
  upward therefrom, the  inspectors  of  election  shall  obliterate  such
  misplaced  signature or signatures, initial the obliteration and require
  such voter to  sign  his  name  again  in  the  correct  place  on  such
  registration poll record.
5.  Any  person  who  has  heretofore  registered and who at such time
  placed his or her registration signature on the back of the registration
  poll record otherwise than in the space required to be provided therefor
  at the bottom of such poll record, shall, before being permitted to vote
  at any election thereafter, subscribe a new registration  signature  for
  himself  on the last line at the bottom of such poll record, and, at the
  same time,  if  the  inspectors  of  election  are  satisfied  that  the
  signatures  were  made  by  the  same  person,  obliterate  his original
  registration signature placed elsewhere  than  on  the  bottom  of  such
  record.  Such obliterations may be made by crossing out the signature so

  as to completely efface the same or by affixing  thereover  a  piece  of
  gummed  tape  of a size sufficient only to cover such signature and of a
  type adequate to fully conceal the same.