Relates to the age requirement for voting in a primary election; provides that a person who is seventeen years of age at the time of a primary election and who will be eighteen years of age at the time of the general election for which such primary election is held, shall be eligible to vote in such primary election.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A6598
SPONSOR: Rozic TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the election law, in relation to the age requirement for
voting in a primary election
PURPOSE::
To require United States citizens who are seventeen years of age to vote
in the primary election, including a presidential primary, if such citi-
zen will be eighteen years of age by the date of the corresponding
general election.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS::
This bill would amend the Election Law by adding a new subdivision 3
that would allow United States citizens who are seventeen years of age
to vote in the primary election, including a presidential primary, if
such citizen will be eighteen years of age by the date of the corre-
sponding general election.
JUSTIFICATION::
Currently, in the United States, the legal voting age is eighteen years
old. This leaves citizens who are seventeen years of age and will be
eighteen years of age by the date of the ' corresponding general
election in the predicament where they would have to wait until the
following presidential election to actually vote. By changing the legal
voting age to seventeen, this would increase the voter turnout and would
essentially give teenagers the incentive to be more politically
inclined.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::
2024: A728 (Rozic) - Election Law
2023: A728 (Rozic) - Election Law
2022: A396 (Rozic) - Election Law
2021: A396 (Rozic) - Election Law
2020: A9716 (Rozic) - Election Law
FISCAL IMPACT ON THE STATE:
Minimal.
EFFECTIVE DATE::
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6598
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 6, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ROZIC, OTIS -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to the age requirement for
voting in a primary election
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 5-102 of the election law is
2 amended to read as follows:
3 1. No person shall be qualified to register for and vote at any
4 election unless [he] such person is a citizen of the United States and
5 is or will be, on the day of such election, eighteen years of age or
6 over, and a resident of this state and of the county, city or village
7 for a minimum of thirty days next preceding such election; provided,
8 however, that a person who is seventeen years of age at the time of a
9 primary election and who will be eighteen years of age at the time of
10 the general election for which such primary election is held, shall
11 be eligible to vote in such primary election.
12 § 2. This act shall take effect on the same date as a "CONCURRENT
13 RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY proposing an amendment to section
14 1 of article 2 of the constitution, in relation to the qualifications of
15 voters" takes effect. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment
16 and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
17 of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
18 completed on or before such effective date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04964-01-5
