Bill Text: NY S01286 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Makes the following participating agencies for purposes of agency assisted voter registration: public libraries, local housing authorities, and public high schools; directs the state board of elections to promulgate rules and regulations for implementation.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO ELECTIONS [S01286 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-S01286-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1286 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 14, 2019 ___________ Introduced by Sens. GIANARIS, HOYLMAN, KRUEGER, SERRANO, STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to designating additional participating agencies for purposes of agency assisted voter registra- tion 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 retardation20and] 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 agencies desig- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD01289-01-9S. 1286 2 1 nated as voter registration offices are the department of state and the 2 division of workers' compensation. Such agencies shall be required to 3 offer voter registration forms to persons upon initial application for 4 services, renewal or recertification for services and change of address 5 relating to such services. Such agencies shall also be responsible for 6 providing assistance to applicants in completing voter registration 7 forms, receiving and transmitting the completed application form from 8 all applicants who wish to have such form transmitted to the appropriate 9 board of elections. The state board of elections shall, together with 10 representatives of the department of defense, develop and implement 11 procedures for including recruitment offices of the armed forces of the 12 United States as voter registration offices when such offices are so 13 designated by federal law. The state board shall also make request of 14 the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service to include 15 applications for registration by mail with any materials which are given 16 to new citizens. All institutions of the state university of New York 17 and the city university of New York, shall, at the beginning of the 18 school year, and again in January of a year in which the president of 19 the United States is to be elected, provide an application for registra- 20 tion to each student in each such institution. The state board of 21 elections may, by regulation, grant a waiver from any or all of the 22 requirements of this section to any office or program of an agency, if 23 it determines that it is not feasible for such office or program to 24 administer such requirement. Also designated as participating agencies 25 are all public libraries, which shall be required to offer voter regis- 26 tration forms to persons eighteen years of age or older upon initial 27 application for a library card. Also designated as participating agen- 28 cies are all local housing authorities, which shall be required to offer 29 voter registration forms to persons upon initial application for 30 services or recertification for services. Also designated as participat- 31 ing agencies are all public high schools, which shall be required to 32 offer voter registration forms to all seniors upon their graduation. 33 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 34 it shall have become a law; provided that the state board of elections 35 is authorized to promulgate any rules necessary to implement this act on 36 or before its effective date.
