Bill Text: NY S06821 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Relates to authorizing voting by inmates in correctional facilities; requires the department of corrections and community supervision, in collaboration with the state and county boards of election, to establish a program to facilitate inmate voter registration and voting.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO ELECTIONS [S06821 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S06821-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          6821

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    October 30, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules

        AN ACT to amend the election law and the correction law, in relation  to
          authorizing  voting  by  inmates  in  correctional  facilities; and to
          repeal certain provisions of the election law relating thereto

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

     1    Section  1.  Section  5-104 of the election law is amended by adding a
     2  new subdivision 1-a to read as follows:
     3    1-a. An inmate voting while incarcerated in a state or  local  correc-
     4  tional facility shall be considered a resident of the county, city, town
     5  and/or village he or she resided in prior to his or her incarceration.
     6    §  2.  Subdivisions 2, 3, 4 and 5 of section 5-106 of the election law
     7  are REPEALED and subdivision 6 is renumbered subdivision 2.
     8    § 3. Subdivision 1 of section 5-400 of the election law, as amended by
     9  chapter 659 of the laws of 1994, paragraph (a) as amended by  chapter  3
    10  of  the  laws  of 2019, is amended and a new subdivision 1-a is added to
    11  read as follows:
    12    1. A voter's registration, including the registration of  a  voter  in
    13  inactive  status,  shall  be  cancelled if, since the time of his or her
    14  last registration, he or she:
    15    (a) Moved his or her residence outside the state.
    16    (b) [Was convicted of a felony disqualifying him from voting  pursuant
    17  to the provisions of section 5-106 of this article.
    18    (c)] Has been adjudicated an incompetent.
    19    [(d)] (c) Refused to take a challenge oath.
    20    [(e)] (d) Has died.
    21    [(f)]  (e)  Did  not  vote  in  any election conducted by the board of
    22  elections during the period ending with the second general  election  at
    23  which  candidates  for federal office are on the ballot after his or her
    24  name was placed in inactive status and for whom the board  of  elections

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13812-01-9
        S. 6821                             2

     1  did  not,  during such period, in any other way, receive any information
     2  that such voter still resides in the same county or city.
     3    [(g)]  (f)  Personally  requested to have his or her name removed from
     4  the list of registered voters.
     5    [(h)] (g) For any other reason, is no  longer  qualified  to  vote  as
     6  provided in this chapter.
     7    1-a.  A voter's registration shall not be cancelled while he or she is
     8  incarcerated in a state or local correctional facility.
     9    § 4. Subdivision 2 of section 5-708 of the election  law  is  REPEALED
    10  and  subdivisions 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, subdivision 3 as renumbered by chap-
    11  ter 659 of the laws of 1994, are renumbered subdivisions 2, 3, 4, 5  and
    12  6.
    13    §  5.  Subdivision 3 of section 5-708 of the election law, as added by
    14  chapter 659 of the laws of 1994 and as renumbered  by  section  four  of
    15  this  act, paragraph a as amended by chapter 200 of the laws of 1996, is
    16  amended to read as follows:
    17    3. a. If a board of elections receives any  notices  pursuant  to  the
    18  provisions of [subdivisions] subdivision two [and three] of this section
    19  which  set  forth  a  residence address outside of the city or county of
    20  such board's jurisdiction, it shall, at least  once  a  month,  transmit
    21  such  notices to the appropriate board of elections, or, if such address
    22  is outside the state, to the state board of elections.
    23    b. The state board shall arrange such notices and the  names  received
    24  pursuant  to the other provisions of this section by county of residence
    25  and transmit such notices [and any notices of conviction  for  a  felony
    26  received  from  a  United  States  attorney] to the appropriate board of
    27  elections.
    28    c. If any such notices,  or  names  received  pursuant  to  the  other
    29  provisions  of  this  section, set forth a residence address outside New
    30  York state, the state board shall transmit such  notices  to  the  chief
    31  state  election  official of such state at such times and in such manner
    32  as it deems appropriate.
    33    § 6. Section 75 of the correction law, as amended  by  section  18  of
    34  subpart  A  of  part  C of chapter 62 of the laws of 2011, is amended to
    35  read as follows:
    36    § 75. Notice of voting rights. 1.  The  department,  in  collaboration
    37  with  the state and county boards of election, shall establish a program
    38  to facilitate inmate voter registration and voting. Such  program  shall
    39  include  access and assistance with voter registration forms and a mech-
    40  anism for voting, including, but not limited to, absentee ballots.
    41    2. Upon the discharge from a  correctional  facility  [of  any  person
    42  whose  maximum  sentence of imprisonment has expired] or upon a person's
    43  discharge from community supervision, the department shall  notify  such
    44  person  of  his or her right to vote and provide such person with a form
    45  of application for voter registration together with written  information
    46  distributed  by the board of elections on the importance and the mechan-
    47  ics of voting.
    48    § 7. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    49  have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
    50  repeal  of  any  rule  or regulation necessary for the implementation of
    51  this act on its effective date are authorized to be made  and  completed
    52  on or before such effective date.