Enacts the "voter empowerment act of New York" to streamline the process for registering to vote

Summary of specific provisions

Amends the election law by adding a new section that will automate the voter registration process at government agencies required to offer voter registration services. Amends the election law to require boards of elections to update the registration of any consenting voter who moves within the state or changes his or her name and submits change of address or name information to officials at designated government agencies. Amends the election law to require the state board of elections to make certain registration information available to voters via telephone and the Internet and to provide for voter registration or registration updates over the Internet. Amends the election law by moving the deadline for voter registration to ten days before an election. Amends the election law by moving the deadline for an effective party enrollment change to ten days before any election. Amends the election law by adding a new section allowing for the correction of registration records on Election Day by voters who consented to registration at designated government agencies but were not registered or inaccurately registered. Amends the election law to increase the privacy of voters and the security of voter information in the statewide voter registration list. Amends the election law by providing for the provision of voter registration forms to students by colleges, universities and public school districts. Amends the election law by authorizing the pre-registration to vote of 16 and 17 year-olds.

Justification

Modernizing the voter registration system will increase the efficiency of voter registration for the State and its constituent governmental units, save hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, increase the completeness and accuracy of the statewide voter registration list, prevent erroneous disenfranchisement of eligible citizens, promote greater participation of eligible voters in elections, and reduce the incidence of voter registration fraud and voting fraud.

New York's paper-based voter registration system is inefficient, error prone, and unjustifiably costly. A modem voter registration system that electronically transmits voter registration information will reduce costs involved in processing voter registrations and maintaining complete and accurate voter registration lists. Other

states that have implemented similar programs have experienced significant cost savings.

In eliminating reliance on paper, a modem voter registration system will reduce the number of duplicate or outdated registration records and ensure that fewer eligible voters are left off the voter rolls or are registered at incorrect or former addresses. A modem voter registration system will also reduce the inaccuracy and disenfranchisement that occurs because of human error. By reducing the administrative burdens presently involved in ensuring that a voter's current and accurate information is included on the statewide voter registration list, a modem voter registration system promotes greater participation of eligible voters in elections. Other states that have implemented similar programs have succeeded in attaining higher voter registration rates at participating government agencies and more accurate voter registration lists.

In addition, this bill streamlines the voter registration and party enrollment deadlines to provide a uniform election deadline ten days before any election. Under current law, when a registered voter seeks to change his or her party enrollment to a different party, enroll in a party (when not previously enrolled in any party), or to end his/her enrollment in a party, the effective change of that enrollment is deferred until the first Tuesday following the general election. As a result, voters wishing to make such changes of enrollment may have to wait as long as thirteen months to see their changes of enrollment take effect. Under this bill, changes of enrollment would take effect ten (10) days after such changes were applied for. This new timeframe would coincide with the deadlines for voter registration thus simplifying the process for both voters and county boards of elections.

Finally, this bill will expand opportunities for young voters to register and vote, ensuring that young people become invested in the election process at an early age. The bill would add a section to the New York voter registration form allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote. The boards of elections would store this information and use it to register the applicants when they reach the age of eligibility following verification of their Qualifications and address. Pre-registration is a key component of voter registration modernization, and ensure that each eligible voter has every opportunity to register and vote.

Modernizing the voter registration system will increase voter registration and participation, while also increasing the accuracy of the voter registration list,thus reducing the opportunities for fraud.

Legislative history

2013: Senate Bill #619-A (Gianaris)Died in Senate Elections Committee 2012: Senate Bill #1974-D (Gianaris)Died in Senate Elections Committee 2013:Assembly Bill #187-A(Kavanagh)- Died in Assembly Elections Committee 2012:Assembly Bill #1712-D(Kavanagh)- Died in Assembly Elections Committee 2010:Assembly Bill #5265(Gianaris)-Died in Assembly Elections Committee

2009:Assembly Bill #5265(Gianaris)-Died in Assembly Elections Committee 2008:Assembly Bill #4346(Gianaris)-Died in Assembly Elections Committee 2007:Assembly Bill #4346(Gianaris)-Died in Assembly Elections Committee 2006:Assembly Bill #3480(Gianaris)-Died in Assembly Elections Committee 2005:Assembly Bill #3480(Gianaris)-Died in Assembly Elections Committee 2004:Assembly Bill #9346(Gianaris)-Died in Assembly Elections Committee

Fiscal impact on the state

Projected cost savings from a decrease in costs required to administer voter registration, in an amount to be determined.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that sections two, three, four, six, seven, eight, ten, twelve, fourteen, fifteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, and twenty-three of this act shall take effect January 1, 2015; provided further that sections five, nine, eleven, thirteen, sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen of this act shall take effect January 1, 2016. Effective immediately, any rules, regulations and agreements necessary to implement the provisions of this act on its effective date are authorized and directed to be completed on or before such date.