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


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: (Engrossed) 2024-06-06 - referred to election law [S08827 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S08827-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         8827--A

                    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  --  committee
          discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
          to said committee

        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  school
    13  districts or department of education after the twentieth day prior to an
    14  election  and by the twelfth day before such election shall be transmit-
    15  ted in such manner and at such time as to assure their receipt  by  such
    16  board  of  elections as soon as practicable and not later than the tenth
    17  day before such election. All transmittals shall include original signa-
    18  tures.
    19    3. Completed application forms received by a school district not later
    20  than the twelfth day before the next ensuing primary, general or special
    21  election and transmitted by such  school  district  to  the  appropriate
    22  board  of  elections  so that they are received not later than the tenth
    23  day before such election shall entitle the applicant  to  vote  in  such
    24  election  provided  the board determines that the applicant is otherwise
    25  qualified.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14546-02-4

        S. 8827--A                          2

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