What's happening
This bill authorizes electronic voter registration in New York and requires the state board of elections to create an online registration system.
Why it matters
Expands access and convenience. by allowing eligible New Yorkers to register to vote online, potentially increasing voter participation, especially among younger and tech-savvy populations who may be less likely to mail paper forms.
Improves security and verification. procedures, requiring applicants to provide either a Social Security number or a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) client ID, and allows for the secure import of DMV signatures for voter verification at the polls.
Mandates transparency and support. , including clear statements about eligibility, penalties for false registration, and resources such as a toll-free helpline for registration questions and complaints about voter rights interference.
Requires comprehensive oversight and public outreach. , directing the Board of Elections to develop rules, collect compliance data, and distribute public information and promotional materials to ensure effective implementation and awareness of the new electronic registration system.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Allow Online Voter Registration
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to elections
- Referred to elections
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1731
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 10, 2017
Introduced by Sens. CARLUCCI, AVELLA, PARKER, PERKINS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to authorizing electronic voter registration
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The election law is amended by adding a new section 5-209 to read as follows:
§ 5-209. Electronic voter registration. 1. In addition to any other methods of voter registration provided for in this article, any qualified person may apply for registration and enrollment by application made electronically through the state board of elections website.
2. The state board of elections shall design a webpage that serves as an electronic application for registration and enrollment form, or a registration form necessitated by a change of residence.
3. The voter registration webpage:
(a) shall require only such information as will enable election officials to assess the applicant's eligibility to register to vote, prevent duplicate registration and to administer voter registration and other parts of the election process.
(b) shall include a statement of the eligibility requirements for voter registration and shall require the applicant to attest by his or her signature that he or she meets those requirements under penalty of perjury.
(c) shall inform the applicant, in print identical to that used in the attestation section of the following:
(i) voter eligibility requirements; and
(ii) penalties for submission of false registration application.
(d) shall require the applicant to submit at least one of the following with his or her application:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01809-01-7
S. 1731 2
(i) his or her social security number; or
(ii) his or her valid New York state department of motor vehicles client identification number.
4. Included on the webpage shall be:
(a) the statement, "If you believe that someone has interfered with your right to register or decline to register to vote, your right to privacy in deciding whether to register or in applying to register to vote, or your right to choose your own political party or other political preference, you may file a complaint with the state board of elections (address and toll free telephone number)."
(b) a toll free number at the state board of elections that can be called for answers to registration questions.
5. Whenever an applicant supplies the board with his or her valid New York state department of motor vehicles client identification number, such applicant's identification shall be deemed verified. The board shall import the applicant's signature from the department of motor vehicles to be used for verification purposes at the time of casting a ballot.
6. Electronic registrations made not later than the twentieth day before an election shall entitle the applicant to vote in such election provided the board determines that the applicant is otherwise qualified.
7. Electronic application forms shall be processed by the board of elections in the manner prescribed by section 5-210 of this title or, if the applicant is already registered to vote from another address in such county or city, in the manner prescribed by section 5-208 of this title. The board shall send the appropriate notice of approval or rejection as required by either subdivision nine of such section 5-210 or subdivision five of such section 5-208.
8. The state board shall adopt such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the requirements of this section. The board shall also adopt such rules and regulations as may be necessary to require county boards to provide the state board with such information and data as the board deems necessary to assess compliance with this section and to compile such statistics as may be required by the federal elections commission.
9. The state board shall develop and distribute public information and promotional materials relating to the purposes and implementation of this program.
10. The department of motor vehicles shall cooperate with the state board of elections in implementing the provisions of this section.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the amendment, addition, and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the timely implementation of this act on its effective date are hereby authorized to be made on or before such effective date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the election law, in relation to authorizing electronic voter registration
Purpose
Provides that the Board of Elections shall accept voter registrations electronically through its website in order to improve poll book accuracy and remove the voter registration backlogs that tend to appear before each election.
Summary of provisions
Section 1. Adds a new section 5-209 to the election law to require the State Board of Elections to implement online voter registration using similar provisions to the voter registration card. Registrants who provide a DMV client identification number would have their signature transferred from DMV records. Registrants providing only a social security number would need to show identification when voting for the first time in order to ensure compliance with signature requirements and election integrity.
Section 2. Effective date.
Justification
In the first two weeks of October in 2008, the New York City Board of Elections was crushed under nearly 204,000 voter registration forms which it had significant difficulty processing. This brought the 2008 total for voter registrations in New York City to nearly 715,000, as compared with 253,000 in all of 2007.
Local Boards of Elections throughout the State reported similar unprecedented volume and struggled to get thousands of voter registration records entered in time for the General Election. However, many voters still reported that their names were not in poll books on Election Day. Many of these voters fell victim to data entry errors, where a simple misspelling in an often ethnic name, made it nearly impossible to locate their name in the poll book and vote on a machine. This legislation would use online voter registration to improve poll book accuracy and cure recent backlogs at local Boards of Election across the State.
Legislative history
2015-16:S859/A5564 -Elections/Election Law 2013-14:S1991/A149 -Elections/Election Law 2011-12:S5237/A8632- Elections/Election Law
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.