What's happening
This bill allows victims of sexual violence to have their voter registration records kept confidential upon court order.
Why it matters
Expands privacy rights for sexual violence survivors. By allowing court-ordered confidentiality of voter registration records, the bill helps protect survivors from potential harassment, stalking, or retaliation by making it harder for perpetrators or others to locate them through public records.
Empowers survivors in the legal process. The requirement for a court order means survivors must proactively apply and demonstrate need, giving them agency while also providing judicial oversight to prevent misuse of the confidentiality provision.
Limits access to sensitive information. The bill ensures that only election officials, and only for official duties, can view the confidential records, reducing the risk of sensitive personal data being accessed or leaked to unauthorized parties.
Sets a legal precedent for privacy in other contexts. By specifically addressing sexual violence victims in election law, this move could lay groundwork for future expansions of privacy protections for vulnerable groups in other public record systems.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Keep Victims’ Records Private
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
15 Co-sponsors
History
- 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.
Protect Voter Privacy for Survivors
In Assembly Committee · Election Law · Sponsor Rich Funke
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
8000
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 25, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. THIELE, CAHILL, GALEF, GOTTFRIED, GRAF, GUNTHER, HOOPER, JAFFEE, LUPINACCI, MAGNARELLI, MAYER, McDONOUGH, MOSLEY, OTIS, RAIA, SKOUFIS, STECK, ZEBROWSKI -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ABBATE, AUBRY, BARCLAY, COOK, CRESPO, CROUCH, CYMBROWITZ, GIGLIO, HIKIND, KOLB, MAGEE, McKEVITT, PALUMBO, PERRY, STEC -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to authorizing registration records of victims of sexual violence to be kept confidential in certain cases
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 5-508 of the election law is amended by adding a new paragraph (c) to read as follows:
(c) "Victim of sexual violence" means any person who is a victim of any offense under article one hundred thirty of the penal law.
§ 2. Section 5-508 of the election law is amended by adding a new subdivision 3 to read as follows:
3. Upon application made to the supreme court, in the county wherein a victim of sexual violence is registered pursuant to this article, the court may issue an order requiring that any registration record kept or maintained in accordance with this article with respect to such an individual be kept separate and apart from other registration records and not be made available for inspection or copying by the public or any other person, except election officials acting within the course and scope of their official duties and only as pertinent and necessary in connection therewith.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date is authorized to be made on or before such date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04176-01-7
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.