Bill Text: NY A01565 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Provides for the inclusion, at a voter's option, of an e-mail address in the voter registration application and record, whereupon notices and other communication required to be sent to the voter by the state board of elections shall be sent by e-mail in addition to postal mail; provides that county boards of elections and the board of elections of the city of New York shall have the option of sending required notices and communications by e-mail in addition to postal mail to certain voters.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 22-7)

Status: (Passed) 2019-11-25 - signed chap.536 [A01565 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A01565-Introduced.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
            S. 1718                                                  A. 1565
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                SENATE - ASSEMBLY
                                    January 15, 2019
                                       ___________
        IN  SENATE  --  Introduced  by  Sen.  CARLUCCI -- read twice and ordered
          printed, and  when  printed  to  be  committed  to  the  Committee  on
          Elections
        IN  ASSEMBLY  --  Introduced  by M. of A. GALEF, PEOPLES-STOKES, PAULIN,
          DINOWITZ, ARROYO, JAFFEE, WEPRIN, ABINANTI, SIMON, ORTIZ, NIOU, STECK,
          WRIGHT, MOSLEY, KOLB, GIGLIO, ASHBY -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of  A.
          CAHILL,  COLTON,  DE LA ROSA,  FINCH,  GOTTFRIED,  LENTOL,  McDONOUGH,
          B. MILLER, M. L. MILLER, THIELE --  read  once  and  referred  to  the
          Committee on Election Law
        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  election  law,  in relation to including e-mail
          addresses in voter registration data
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Paragraphs (k) and (l) of subdivision 5 of section 5-210 of
     2  the election law, as amended by chapter 179 of the laws of 2005, subpar-
     3  agraph  (xii)  of  paragraph  (k) as added by chapter 362 of the laws of
     4  2008, are amended to read as follows:
     5    (k) The form shall also include space for the  following  information,
     6  which must be contained on the inside of the form after it is folded for
     7  mailing:
     8    (i) A space for the applicant to indicate whether or not he or she has
     9  ever voted or registered to vote before and, if so, the approximate year
    10  in which such applicant last voted or registered and his or her name and
    11  address at the time.
    12    (ii) The name and residence address of the applicant including the zip
    13  code and apartment number, if any.
    14    (iii)  A space for the furnishing of an e-mail address, the furnishing
    15  of which shall be optional, together with a notice stating  that  if  an
    16  e-mail  address  is  furnished, all notices and communications otherwise
    17  required to be sent by the state board of  elections  to  the  voter  by
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00238-01-9

        S. 1718                             2                            A. 1565
     1  postal  mail  shall be sent by e-mail in addition to postal mail. County
     2  boards of elections and the board of elections of the city of  New  York
     3  shall  have  the  option of sending notices and communications otherwise
     4  required to be sent to the voter by postal mail by e-mail in addition to
     5  postal mail if the voter furnishes an email address.
     6    (iv) The date of birth of the applicant.
     7    [(iv)]  (v)  A space for the applicant to indicate his or her driver's
     8  license or department of motor vehicles non-driver photo  ID  number  or
     9  the  last  four  digits  of his or her social security number or, if the
    10  applicant does not have either such number, a space for the applicant to
    11  indicate he or she does not have either.
    12    [(v)] (vi) A space for the applicant to indicate whether or not he  or
    13  she  is a citizen of the United States and the statement "If you checked
    14  "no" in response to this question, do not complete this form."
    15    [(vi)] (vii) A space for the applicant to answer  the  question  "Will
    16  you be 18 years of age on or before election day?" and the statement "If
    17  you checked "no" in response to this question, do not complete this form
    18  unless you will be 18 by the end of the year."
    19    [(vii)] (viii) A statement informing the applicant that if the form is
    20  submitted  by  mail and the applicant is registering for the first time,
    21  certain information or documents must  be  submitted  with  the  mail-in
    22  registration  form  in order to avoid additional identification require-
    23  ments upon voting for the first time.  Such  information  and  documents
    24  are:
    25    (A)  a  driver's  license  or  department of motor vehicles non-driver
    26  photo ID number; or
    27    (B) the last four digits of the individual's social  security  number;
    28  or
    29    (C) a copy of a current and valid photo identification; or
    30    (D)  a  copy  of  a  current  utility bill, bank statement, government
    31  check, paycheck or other government document that  shows  the  name  and
    32  address of the voter.
    33    [(viii)] (ix) The gender of the applicant (optional).
    34    [(ix)]  (x) A space for the applicant to indicate his or her choice of
    35  party enrollment, with a clear alternative provided for the applicant to
    36  decline to affiliate with any party.
    37    [(x)] (xi) The telephone number of the applicant (optional).
    38    [(xi)] (xii) A place for the applicant to execute the form on  a  line
    39  which  is  clearly  labeled  "signature  of  applicant"  preceded by the
    40  following specific form of affirmation:
    41    AFFIDAVIT: I swear or affirm that:
    42       * I am a citizen of the United States.
    43       * I will have lived in the county, city, or village for at least 30
    44         days before the election.
    45       * I meet all the requirements to  register  to  vote  in  New  York
    46         State.
    47       * This is my signature or mark on the line below.
    48       * All  the  information  contained  on  this application is true. I
    49         understand that if it is not true I can be convicted and fined up
    50         to $5,000 and/or jailed for up to four years.
    51  which form of affirmation shall be followed by a space for the date  and
    52  the aforementioned line for the applicant's signature.
    53    [(xii)]  (xiii)  A space for the applicant to register in the New York
    54  state donate life registry for organ and  tissue  donations  established
    55  pursuant to section forty-three hundred ten of the public health law.

        S. 1718                             3                            A. 1565
     1    (l)  The  mail  voter  registration  application form developed by the
     2  federal election commission pursuant to the provisions of  section  nine
     3  of  the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 42 USC 1973gg-7 shall be
     4  deemed to meet the requirements of this  section.  Any  application  for
     5  registration  received  on such an application form shall be accepted if
     6  the applicant is otherwise eligible to register to vote pursuant to  the
     7  provisions  of  this  article.    A voter whose registration is accepted
     8  pursuant to the provisions of  this  paragraph  shall  be  permitted  to
     9  furnish  an  e-mail  address to the board of elections, which furnishing
    10  shall carry the same notice and have the  same  effect  as  provided  by
    11  subparagraph (iii) of paragraph (k) of this subdivision.
    12    §  2.  Paragraph  d  of subdivision 4 of section 5-500 of the election
    13  law, as amended by chapter 659 of the laws of 1994, is amended  to  read
    14  as follows:
    15    d.  The residence address at which the voter claims to reside and post
    16  office address, if not the same; and the number or  designation  of  the
    17  room,  apartment,  or  floor occupied by the voter if he or she does not
    18  claim the entire building as his or  her  residence;  and  in  addition,
    19  space  for  the furnishing of an e-mail address, the furnishing of which
    20  shall be optional, together with a notice  stating  that  if  an  e-mail
    21  address  is furnished, all notices and communications otherwise required
    22  to be sent by the state board of elections to the voter by  postal  mail
    23  shall  be  sent  by  e-mail in addition to postal mail. County boards of
    24  elections and the board of elections of the city of New York shall  have
    25  the  option  of sending notices and communications otherwise required to
    26  be sent to the voter by postal mail by e-mail in addition to postal mail
    27  if the voter furnishes an e-mail address;
    28    § 3. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become  a
    29  law; provided that the state board of elections is authorized to promul-
    30  gate  any  and  all  rules  and  regulations and take any other measures
    31  necessary to implement this act on its effective date on or before  such
    32  date.
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