A11167 Summary:

BILL NOA11167
 
SAME ASSAME AS S06169-A
 
SPONSORBing (MS)
 
COSPNSRReilly, Millman, Schroeder, Brook-Krasny, Wright, Jaffee, Young, Koon, Dinowitz, Zebrowski K, Gabryszak, Cook, Maisel
 
MLTSPNSRBrennan, Gottfried, Heastie, Jeffries, McEneny, Peoples, Pheffer, Rivera N, Weisenberg
 
Amd SS5-210 & 5-211, El L
 
Provides measures to improve voter registration among young people.
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A11167 Actions:

BILL NOA11167
 
05/20/2008referred to election law
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A11167 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A11167
 
SPONSOR: Bing (MS)
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the election law, in relation to voter registration and enrollment; and providing for the repeal of certain provisions upon expiration thereof   PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: Improves voter registration among young people and seeks to remove many barriers to registration and elec- toral participation.   SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section I amends § 5-210 of the election law to require the state board of elections to implement online voter registration for individuals who already possess a New York state driver's license or non-driver identification card. Section 2 amends § 5-120 of the election law to require that printed mail voter registration forms have prepaid postage within the United States. Section 3 amends § 5-210 of the election law to allow 17-year-olds to register with the state board of elections so they will be eligible to vote as soon as they turn 18. Section 4 amends § 5-210 of the election law to require the state board of elections to conduct a study and issue recommendations for improving voter registration among citizens under 25. Section 5 amends § 5-211 of the election law to require all colleges and university, as well as any state agencies not designated as participat- ing agencies to make voter registration forms available to the public. Section 6 amends § 5-211 of the election law to require all public and private colleges and universities to mail students a voter registration form at the start of each school year and in January of a presidential election year. Section 7 provides an immediate effective date and a 3-year sunset provision for section 4.   JUSTIFICATION: The Higher Education Act of 1998, as amended, requires all colleges to provide voter registration forms to students physically located on campus before state and federal elections. New York State election law also requires every public college and university (SUNY & CUNY) to provide voter registration forms to every student at the start of each academic year and in January of Presidential election years. Despite the state and federal mandate, a February 2008 report by Rock the Vote (RockTheVote.com) found only 63% of young people age 18-22 are registered to vote compared to 87% of people age 23-29. This data shows a 10% decrease in the number of young people age 18-22 registered voters since 2006. This legislation would improve youth voter registration by adding prepaid postage; expanding distribution requirements to all colleges, universities and state agencies; implementing online registration with a valid New York Driver's License or Identification; directing the State Board of Elections to conduct a study and issue recommendations to improve registration among New Yorkers under 25; and, allowing 7 year- olds to register. Expanding the law will allow us to enroll more voters as they interact with government such as while they are still students in the education system and seeks to remove many barriers to registra- tion and electoral participation.   PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: None. This is new legislation.   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None to the state.   EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately, provided that section 4 shall expire and be deemed repealed 3 years after such date.
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A11167 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          11167
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                      May 20, 2008
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M. of A. BING, REILLY, MILLMAN, SCHROEDER, BROOK-KRASNY,
          WRIGHT, JAFFEE, YOUNG, KOON, DINOWITZ, K. ZEBROWSKI,  GABRYSZAK,  COOK
          --  Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A.  GOTTFRIED, McENENY, PHEFFER, WEIS-
          ENBERG -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
 
        AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to voter registration  and

          enrollment;  and  providing  for the repeal of certain provisions upon
          expiration thereof
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1.  Section  5-210 of the election law is amended by adding a
     2  new subdivision 16 to read as follows:
     3    16. The state board of elections is required to develop and  implement
     4  on-line  voter registration for individuals who possess a New York state
     5  driver's license or New  York  state  issued  non-driver  identification
     6  card.  The  registration shall include all other information required by
     7  this section for written registration and in addition on-line applicants
     8  shall be required to provide a New York state driver's  license  or  New

     9  York  state  non-driver  identification card.   The registration on-line
    10  form shall be forwarded by the state board of elections to the appropri-
    11  ate county board of elections for processing in the usual manner.
    12    § 2. Subdivision 5 of section 5-210 of the election law is amended  by
    13  adding a new paragraph (m) to read as follows:
    14    (m)  All  printed  mail  voter registration application forms prepared
    15  pursuant to this section shall be postage prepaid so that no postage  is
    16  necessary if mailed in the United States.
    17    §  3.  Paragraph (g) of subdivision 5 of section 5-210 of the election
    18  law, as amended by chapter 179 of the laws of 2005, is amended  to  read
    19  as follows:
    20    (g)  Notice that the applicant must be a citizen of the United States,

    21  is or will be at least eighteen years old not later than December  thir-
    22  ty-first  of  the calendar year in which he or she registers and a resi-
    23  dent of the county or city to which application is made. Notwithstanding
    24  any other provision of law, any person at least seventeen years  of  age
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13544-02-8

        A. 11167                            2
 
     1  may  make  an application for registration under this section regardless
     2  of whether he or she becomes eighteen years of age by election day.
     3    §  4.  Section  5-210  of the election law, is amended by adding a new

     4  subdivision 17 to read as follows:
     5    17. The state board of elections shall conduct a study and  prepare  a
     6  report  and issue recommendations for improving voter registration among
     7  citizens under the age of twenty-five years. The study  should  address,
     8  although  not  be  limited to, the feasibility of directly mailing voter
     9  registration materials to New York state residents eighteen years of age
    10  who possess a resident driver's license or a  non-driver  identification
    11  card,  resident  fishing,  hunting,  boating or gun licenses, are in the
    12  state foster care system, receive state welfare benefits or are enrolled
    13  in child health plus. Such study and report shall be completed by Decem-
    14  ber first, two thousand eight. Copies of such reports shall be  provided

    15  to  the  governor, the temporary president of the senate and the speaker
    16  of the assembly.
    17    § 5. Section 5-211 of the election law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    18  subdivision 18 to read as follows:
    19    18.  All  colleges,  universities,  public  high  schools  and  public
    20  libraries located in this state and  all  state  agencies,  departments,
    21  divisions and offices not specifically designated as participating agen-
    22  cies under this section shall make voter registration forms available to
    23  any persons using or visiting their premises.
    24    §  6.  The  opening paragraph of section 5-211 of the election law, as
    25  amended by chapter 200 of the laws  of  1996,  is  amended  to  read  as
    26  follows:
    27    Each  agency designated as a participating agency under the provisions

    28  of this section shall implement and administer a program of distribution
    29  of voter registration forms pursuant to the provisions of this  section.
    30  The  following  offices  which  provide public assistance and/or provide
    31  state funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons
    32  with disabilities are hereby designated as voter registration  agencies:
    33  designated as the state agencies which provide public assistance are the
    34  department of social services and the department of health.  Also desig-
    35  nated as public assistance agencies are all agencies of local government
    36  that  provide such assistance. Designated as state agencies that provide
    37  programs primarily engaged in providing services to people with disabil-
    38  ities are the department of labor, office for  the  aging,  division  of
    39  veterans'  affairs,  office  of  mental health, office of vocational and

    40  educational services for individuals with  disabilities,  commission  on
    41  quality  of care for the mentally disabled, office of mental retardation
    42  and developmental disabilities, commission for the  blind  and  visually
    43  handicapped,  office  of  alcoholism  and  substance abuse services, the
    44  office of the advocate for the disabled and all offices which administer
    45  programs established or funded by such agencies. Additional state  agen-
    46  cies  designated  as  voter  registration  offices are the department of
    47  state and the division of workers' compensation. Such agencies shall  be
    48  required  to  offer  voter  registration  forms  to persons upon initial
    49  application for services, renewal or recertification  for  services  and
    50  change of address relating to such services. Such agencies shall also be
    51  responsible  for  providing assistance to applicants in completing voter

    52  registration forms, receiving and transmitting the completed application
    53  form from all applicants who wish to have such form transmitted  to  the
    54  appropriate  board  of  elections.  The  state board of elections shall,
    55  together with representatives of the department of defense, develop  and
    56  implement  procedures  for  including  recruitment  offices of the armed

        A. 11167                            3
 
     1  forces of the United States as  voter  registration  offices  when  such
     2  offices  are  so  designated by federal law.  The state board shall also
     3  make request of the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service
     4  to  include  applications  for  registration  by mail with any materials
     5  which are given to new citizens.  All institutions of the state  univer-
     6  sity  of  New  York and the city university of New York, and all private

     7  colleges and universities located in the state shall, at  the  beginning
     8  of  the  school year, and again in January of a year in which the presi-
     9  dent of the United States is to be elected, [provide] mail  an  applica-
    10  tion  for registration to each student in each such institution at their
    11  last known address at such institution.   The state board  of  elections
    12  may,  by  regulation, grant a waiver from any or all of the requirements
    13  of this section to any office or program of an agency, if it  determines
    14  that  it  is  not feasible for such office or program to administer such
    15  requirement.
    16    § 7. This act shall take effect  immediately,  provided  that  section
    17  four  of this act shall expire and be deemed repealed 3 years after such
    18  date.
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