What's happening
This bill restores voting rights to convicted felons in New York upon their release from incarceration and mandates notification of these rights.
Why it matters
Reduces barriers to re-entry and civic participation. by allowing individuals with felony convictions to vote as soon as they are released from incarceration, rather than waiting for parole or sentence completion, which could help facilitate smoother reintegration into society.
Addresses racial and socioeconomic disparities. in voting access, since disenfranchisement laws have historically affected communities of color and lower-income populations at higher rates, potentially increasing political influence and representation for these groups.
Mandates clear notification and practical support. by requiring correctional and local facility officials to inform individuals of their restored voting rights and provide voter registration materials, helping reduce confusion and administrative obstacles that commonly prevent eligible people from voting.
Modernizes New York’s approach compared to other states. by automatically restoring voting rights, aligning with broader criminal justice reform trends, and signaling a shift toward viewing voting as a fundamental right rather than a privilege contingent on extended legal supervision.
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Who cares
People with felony convictions
The bill would allow them to register and vote after release from incarceration without waiting for parole to end, and would limit felony-based voting restrictions to those sentenced to imprisonment.
Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
The department would have to provide voting-rights notices, registration applications and voting information upon release and to people already under community supervision when the notification requirement takes effect.
Local correctional facility administrators
Chief administrative officers would have to provide voting-rights notices, registration applications and voting information to people convicted of felonies upon release.
Boards of elections
The bill would expand eligibility for registration and voting and require correctional officials to provide board-distributed information on the importance and mechanics of voting.
Headline styles
Restore Voting After Prison
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
8 Co-sponsors
1 Multi-sponsor
History
- Advanced to third reading cal.789
- Reported
- Referred to election law
- Referred to election law
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Restore Voting Rights After Prison
In Senate Committee · Elections · Sponsor Leroy Comrie
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5367
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 8, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. O'DONNELL, SEPULVEDA, WALKER, BLAKE, KAVANAGH -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. LENTOL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law and the correction law, in relation to voting by convicted felons
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 5-106 of the election law, as amended by chapter 373 of the laws of 1978, is amended to read as follows:
2. No person who has been convicted of a felony and sentenced to a period of imprisonment for such felony pursuant to the laws of this state, shall have the right to register for or vote at any election unless he [shall have been pardoned or restored to the rights of citizenship by the governor, or his maximum sentence of imprisonment has expired, or he has been discharged from parole. The governor, however, may attach as a condition to any such pardon a provision that any such person shall not have the right of suffrage until it shall have been separately restored to him] or she has been released from incarceration for such felony or released from serving a time assessment pursuant to subparagraph (x) of paragraph (f) of subdivision three of section two hundred fifty-nine-i of the executive law.
§ 2. Subdivision 3 of section 5-106 of the election law is amended to read as follows:
3. No person who has been convicted in a federal court, of a felony, or a crime or offense which would constitute a felony under the laws of this state, and sentenced to a period of imprisonment for such felony, shall have the right to register for or vote at any election unless he [shall have been pardoned or restored to the rights of citizenship by the president of the United States, or his maximum sentence of imprisonment has expired, or he has been discharged from parole] or she has been
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00170-01-7
A. 5367 2
released from incarceration for such felony or released from serving a time assessment pursuant to a violation of parole supervision under federal jurisdiction.
§ 3. Subdivision 4 of section 5-106 of the election law is amended to read as follows:
4. No person who has been convicted in another state for a crime or offense which would constitute a felony under the laws of this state and sentenced to a period of imprisonment for such felony, shall have the right to register for or vote at any election in this state unless he shall have been pardoned or restored to the rights of citizenship by the governor or other appropriate authority of such other state, or his maximum sentence has expired, or he [has been discharged from parole] or she has been released from incarceration for such felony or released from serving a time assessment for a violation of parole supervision under the jurisdiction of courts, paroling authorities, corrections or other criminal justice agencies.
§ 4. Section 75 of the correction law, as amended by section 18 of subpart A of part C of chapter 62 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
§ 75. Notice of voting rights. Upon the [discharge] release from a correctional facility of any person [whose maximum sentence of imprisonment has expired or upon a person's discharge from community supervision,] the department shall notify such person of his or her right to vote and provide such person with a form of application for voter registration together with written information distributed by the board of elections on the importance and the mechanics of voting.
§ 5. The correction law is amended by adding a new section 510 to read as follows:
§ 510. Voting upon release. Upon the release from a local correctional facility of any person convicted of a felony the chief administrative officer shall notify such person of his or her right to vote and provide such person with a form of application for voter registration together with written information distributed by the board of elections on the importance and the mechanics of voting.
§ 6. The department of corrections and community supervision shall notify each person serving a period of community supervision on the effective date of this act of his or her right to vote and provide such person with a form of application for voter registration together with written information distributed by the board of elections on the importance and the mechanics of voting.
§ 7. This act shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that sections four, five, and six of this act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.