Bill Text: NY S08827 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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

---

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) 2024-04-12 - PRINT NUMBER 8827A [S08827 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S08827-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8827

                    IN SENATE

                                     March 19, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  BAILEY -- 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 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 depart-
    13  ment after the twentieth day prior to an election and by the twelfth day
    14  before such election shall be transmitted in such  manner  and  at  such
    15  time  as  to  assure their receipt by such board of elections as soon as
    16  practicable and not later than the tenth day before such  election.  All
    17  transmittals shall include original signatures.
    18    3. Completed application forms received by a school district not later
    19  than the twelfth day before the next ensuing primary, general or special
    20  election  and  transmitted  by  such  school district to the appropriate
    21  board of elections so that they are received not later  than  the  tenth
    22  day  before  such  election  shall entitle the applicant to vote in such
    23  election provided the board determines that the applicant  is  otherwise
    24  qualified.
    25    4.  Disclosure of voter registration information, including a declina-
    26  tion to register, by a school district, its  agents  or  employees,  for
    27  other  than  voter registration purposes, shall be deemed an unwarranted

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14546-01-4
        S. 8827                             2

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