N.Y. Elec. Law § 8-304

§ 8-304. Voters; signature identification. 1. A person before being\nallowed to vote shall be required, except as provided in this chapter,\nto sign his or her name on the back of his or her registration poll\nrecord on the first line reserved for his or her signature at the time\nof election which is not filled with a previous signature, or in the\nspace provided in the computer generated registration list reserved for\nthe voter's signature. The two inspectors in charge shall satisfy\nthemselves by a comparison of this signature with the voter's\nregistration signature and by comparison of the voter's appearance with\nthe descriptive material on the face of the registration poll record\nthat the voter is the person registered. If they are so satisfied they\nshall enter the other information required for the election on the same\nline with the voter's latest signature, shall sign their names or\ninitials in the spaces provided therefor, and shall permit the applicant\nto vote. Any inspector or inspectors not satisfied shall challenge the\napplicant forthwith.\n 2. If a person who alleges an inability to sign his or her name\npresents himself or herself to vote, the board of inspectors shall\npermit such person to vote, unless challenged on other grounds, provided\nthe voter had been permitted to register without signing the voter's\nname. The board shall enter the words "Unable to Sign" in the space on\nthe voter's registration poll record reserved for the voter's signature\nor on the line or space the computer generated registration list\nreserved for the voter's signature at such election. If the voter's\nsignature appears upon the voter's registration record or in the\ncomputer generated registration list the board shall challenge the voter\nforthwith, except that if such a person claims that he or she is unable\nto sign his or her name by reason of a physical disability incurred\nsince the voter's registration, the board, if convinced of the existence\nof such disability, shall permit him or her to vote, shall enter the\nwords "Unable to Sign" and a brief description of such disability in the\nspace reserved for the voter's signature at such election. At each\nsubsequent election, if such disability still exists, the voter shall be\nentitled to vote without signing their name and the board of inspectors,\nwithout further notation, shall enter the words "Unable to Sign" in the\nspace reserved for the voter's signature at such election.\n 3. The voter's facsimile signature shall be effectively concealed from\nthe voter by a blotter or other means until after the voter shall have\ncompleted the signature.\n 4. In any case where a person who has heretofore voted has placed his\nvoting signature on the back of his registration poll record on the\nfirst or any succeeding line or lines at the time or times of an\nelection, instead of on the last line of the space thereon required to\nbe reserved for such voting signatures and on any lines next running\nupward therefrom, the inspectors of election shall obliterate such\nmisplaced signature or signatures, initial the obliteration and require\nsuch voter to sign his name again in the correct place on such\nregistration poll record.\n 5. Any person who has heretofore registered and who at such time\nplaced his or her registration signature on the back of the registration\npoll record otherwise than in the space required to be provided therefor\nat the bottom of such poll record, shall, before being permitted to vote\nat any election thereafter, subscribe a new registration signature for\nhimself on the last line at the bottom of such poll record, and, at the\nsame time, if the inspectors of election are satisfied that the\nsignatures were made by the same person, obliterate his original\nregistration signature placed elsewhere than on the bottom of such\nrecord. Such obliterations may be made by crossing out the signature so\nas to completely efface the same or by affixing thereover a piece of\ngummed tape of a size sufficient only to cover such signature and of a\ntype adequate to fully conceal the same.\n