Bill Text: NY A02599 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Relates to voter registration form distribution and assistance.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-12-06 - SIGNED CHAP.587 [A02599 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A02599-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          2599
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 24, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M. of A. DINOWITZ, JAFFEE, BUCHWALD, OTIS -- Multi-Spon-
          sored by -- M. of A. COLTON, GLICK, GOTTFRIED, GUNTHER, PERRY --  read
          once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
        AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to voter registration form
          distribution and assistance
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The opening paragraph of section 5-211 of the election law,
     2  as amended by chapter 265 of the laws of 2013, is  amended  to  read  as
     3  follows:
     4    Each  agency designated as a participating agency under the provisions
     5  of this section shall implement and administer a program of distribution
     6  of voter registration forms pursuant to the provisions of this  section.
     7  The  following  offices  which  provide public assistance and/or provide
     8  state funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons
     9  with disabilities are hereby designated as voter registration  agencies:
    10  designated as the state agencies which provide public assistance are the
    11  office  of  children  and  family  services, the office of temporary and
    12  disability assistance and the department of health. Also  designated  as
    13  public  assistance  agencies  are  all agencies of local government that
    14  provide such assistance.  Designated  as  state  agencies  that  provide
    15  programs primarily engaged in providing services to people with disabil-
    16  ities  are  the  department  of labor, office for the aging, division of
    17  veterans' affairs, office of mental health,  office  of  vocational  and
    18  educational  services  for  individuals with disabilities, commission on
    19  quality of care for the mentally disabled, office [of mental retardation
    20  and] for people with  developmental  disabilities,  commission  for  the
    21  blind,  office of alcoholism and substance abuse services, the office of
    22  the advocate for the disabled and all offices which administer  programs
    23  established or funded by such agencies. Additional [state] participating
    24  agencies  designated as voter registration offices are the department of
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01179-01-9
        A. 2599                             2
     1  state and the [division] district offices of the  workers'  compensation
     2  board.    Such  agencies  shall  be required to offer voter registration
     3  forms to persons upon  initial  application  for  services,  renewal  or
     4  recertification for services and upon change of address relating to such
     5  services.  Such agencies shall also be responsible for providing assist-
     6  ance to applicants in completing voter registration forms, receiving and
     7  transmitting the completed application form from all applicants who wish
     8  to have such form transmitted to the appropriate board of elections. The
     9  state  board  of  elections  shall, together with representatives of the
    10  United States department of defense, develop  and  implement  procedures
    11  for  including  recruitment  offices  of  the armed forces of the United
    12  States as voter registration offices when such offices are so designated
    13  by federal law. The state board of elections shall also make request  of
    14  the  United  States [Immigration and Naturalization Service] Citizenship
    15  and Immigration Services to include  applications  for  registration  by
    16  mail  with  any  materials  which are given to new citizens. [All insti-
    17  tutions of the state university of New York and the city  university  of
    18  New York, shall, at the beginning of the school year, and again in Janu-
    19  ary  of  a  year  in  which  the president of the United States is to be
    20  elected, provide an application for registration to each student in each
    21  such institution.] The state board  of  elections  may,  by  regulation,
    22  grant  a  waiver  from any or all of the requirements of this section to
    23  any office or program of an agency, if it  determines  that  it  is  not
    24  feasible for such office or program to administer such requirement.
    25    §  2.  Section  5-211  of  the election law is amended by adding a new
    26  subdivision 18 to read as follows:
    27     18. All institutions of the state university of New York and the city
    28  university of New York shall, at the beginning of the school  year,  and
    29  again  in  January of a year in which the president of the United States
    30  is to be elected, provide an application for voter registration to  each
    31  student  in  each  such  institution. Such institutions shall also offer
    32  each student an application for an absentee ballot.   Such  institutions
    33  shall provide the same degree of assistance as required of participating
    34  agencies.
    35    § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    36  it  shall have become a law, provided however, that effective immediate-
    37  ly, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any  rules  or  regulations
    38  necessary  for  the implementation of this act on its effective date are
    39  authorized and directed to be made  and  completed  on  or  before  such
    40  effective date.