Bill Text: NY A10309 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Requires any student graduating from a high school in New York state be provided with a voter registration form.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-17 - referred to election law [A10309 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A10309-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          10309

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      May 17, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Burgos) --
          read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law

        AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to requiring  any  student
          graduating  from  a  high  school in New York state be provided with a
          voter registration form

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  The election law is amended by adding a new section 5-232
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 5-232. Graduating high school students. 1. In addition to any  other
     4  method  of voter registration provided for in this article, every quali-
     5  fied person shall be provided with an application for  registration  and
     6  enrollment upon graduation from any public or private high school within
     7  the  state.  Such application shall be in the same form as prescribed by
     8  section 5-210 of this title.
     9    2. A school district in which qualified persons are  graduating  shall
    10  transmit  any  completed application for registration form to the appro-
    11  priate board of elections not later than ten days after  receipt  except
    12  that  all  such  completed applications and forms received by the school
    13  districts or department of education after the twentieth day prior to an
    14  election and by the twelfth day before such election shall be  transmit-
    15  ted  in  such manner and at such time as to assure their receipt by such
    16  board of elections as soon as practicable and not later than  the  tenth
    17  day before such election. All transmittals shall include original signa-
    18  tures.
    19    3. Completed application forms received by a school district not later
    20  than the twelfth day before the next ensuing primary, general or special
    21  election  and  transmitted  by  such  school district to the appropriate
    22  board of elections so that they are received not later  than  the  tenth
    23  day  before  such  election  shall entitle the applicant to vote in such
    24  election provided the board determines that the applicant  is  otherwise
    25  qualified.
    26    4.  Disclosure of voter registration information, including a declina-
    27  tion to register, by a school district, its  agents  or  employees,  for

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14546-03-4

        A. 10309                            2

     1  purposes  other  than  voter registration shall be deemed an unwarranted
     2  invasion of personal privacy pursuant to the provisions  of  subdivision
     3  two  of section eighty-nine of the public officers law and shall consti-
     4  tute a violation of this chapter.
     5    5.  Application  forms shall be processed by the board of elections in
     6  the manner prescribed by section 5-210 of this title.  The  board  shall
     7  send  the  appropriate  notice  of  approval or rejection as required by
     8  subdivision nine of such section 5-210.
     9    6. Strict neutrality with respect to a person's party enrollment shall
    10  be maintained and all  persons  seeking  voter  registration  forms  and
    11  information  shall  be  advised  that government services are not condi-
    12  tioned on being registered to vote.
    13    7. No statement shall be made nor any action taken to  discourage  the
    14  applicant from registering to vote.
    15    8. The state board of elections shall adopt such rules and regulations
    16  as  may  be necessary to carry out the requirements of this section. The
    17  board shall also adopt such rules and regulations as may be necessary to
    18  require county boards and the department of  education  to  provide  the
    19  state  board  of  elections  with such information and data as the board
    20  deems necessary to assess compliance with this section  and  to  compile
    21  such statistics as may be required by the federal elections commission.
    22    9.  The  state  board of elections shall develop and distribute public
    23  information and promotional  materials  relating  to  the  purposes  and
    24  implementation of this program.
    25    10.  The  state board of elections shall prepare and distribute to the
    26  department of education written instructions as to the implementation of
    27  the program and shall be responsible for establishing training  programs
    28  for  employees  of  the department of education and each school district
    29  involved in such program.
    30    11. The commissioner of education shall take  all  actions  which  are
    31  necessary and proper for the implementation of this section. The commis-
    32  sioner  of education shall designate one person within the department as
    33  the department voter registration coordinator who will, under the direc-
    34  tion of the state board of  elections,  be  responsible  for  the  voter
    35  registration program in such department.
    36    §  2.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
    37  the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the
    38  addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule  or  regulation  necessary
    39  for  the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized
    40  to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
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