What's happening
This bill allows 16- and 17-year-olds in New York to pre-register to vote and requires schools to promote student voter registration.
Why it matters
Expands civic engagement opportunities for youth. , allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to connect with the voting process earlier, which research suggests can increase lifetime voter participation and foster a stronger sense of civic responsibility.
Addresses practical barriers to registration. by enabling pre-registration, so that teens are automatically eligible to vote as soon as they turn 18, reducing the risk of missing registration deadlines during busy life transitions (like moving for college or work).
Makes voter education a school responsibility. , requiring public schools to actively promote voter registration and pre-registration. This could help ensure that more young people are aware of their rights and the registration process, especially those from communities with lower historical participation.
Explicitly prevents coercion in the classroom. , clarifying that completing registration forms cannot be a graded or required assignment, which protects student autonomy and addresses concerns about mandatory political engagement in schools.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Allow 16-Year-Olds Pre-Register
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
52 Co-sponsors
- Sandy Galef
- David Buchwald
- Donna Lupardo
- Linda Rosenthal
- Patricia Fahy
- Steven Englebright
- Thomas Abinanti
- Albert A. Stirpe
- Barbara Lifton
- Jeffrey Dinowitz
- Michael Blake
- Kenneth Zebrowski
- Jo Anne Simon
- Ellen C. Jaffee
- William Colton
- Latrice Walker
- Felix Ortiz
- Harvey Epstein
- Patrick Burke
- Robert C. Carroll
- Catalina Cruz
- Simcha Eichenstein
- Charles Fall
- Mathylde Frontus
- Deborah Glick
- Judy Griffin
- Carl Heastie
- Jonathan Jacobson
- Karen McMahon
- Steven Otis
- Taylor Darling
- Karines Reyes
- Helene Weinstein
- Harry B. Bronson
- Michael DenDekker
- Jamie Romeo
- Al Taylor
- David Gantt
- Daniel Rosenthal
- Steve Stern
- Rebecca Seawright
- Amy Paulin
- Aravella Simotas
- N. Nick Perry
- Anthony D'Urso
- Pamela J. Hunter
- Clyde Vanel
- Nathalia Fernandez
- Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn
- David Weprin
- Ron Kim
- Philip Ramos
3 Multi-sponsors
History
- Signed chap.2
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to assembly
- Passed senateVote 47–14
- 3rd reading cal.6
- Substituted for S1100
- Referred to rules
- Delivered to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.3
- Rules report cal.3
- Reported
Show 3 earlier actions
- Reported referred to rules
- Reported referred to ways and means
- 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.
Let Teens Pre-Register to Vote
Senate Floor Calendar · Sponsor David Carlucci
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
S. 1100 A. 774
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
SENATE - ASSEMBLY
January 10, 2019
IN SENATE -- Introduced by Sens. CARLUCCI, ADDABBO, BAILEY, BENJAMIN, BIAGGI, BRESLIN, BROOKS, COMRIE, GAUGHRAN, GIANARIS, GOUNARDES, HARCK- HAM, HOYLMAN, JACKSON, KAMINSKY, KAPLAN, KAVANAGH, KENNEDY, KRUEGER, LIU, MARTINEZ, MAY, MAYER, METZGER, MONTGOMERY, MYRIE, PARKER, PERSAUD, RAMOS, RIVERA, SALAZAR, SANDERS, SAVINO, SEPULVEDA, SERRANO, SKOUFIS, STAVISKY, STEWART-COUSINS, THOMAS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections
IN ASSEMBLY -- Introduced by M. of A. LAVINE, GALEF, BUCHWALD, LUPARDO, L. ROSENTHAL, FAHY, ENGLEBRIGHT, ABINANTI, STIRPE, LIFTON, DINOWITZ, BLAKE, ZEBROWSKI, SIMON, JAFFEE, COLTON, WALKER, ORTIZ, EPSTEIN, BURKE, CARROLL, CRUZ, EICHENSTEIN, FALL, FRONTUS, GLICK, GRIFFIN, HEASTIE, JACOBSON, McMAHON, OTIS, RAYNOR, REYES, WEINSTEIN -- Multi- Sponsored by -- M. of A. LENTOL, THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to voter pre-registration
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph o of subdivision 4 of section 5-500 of the election law, as amended by chapter 659 of the laws of 1994, is amended and a new paragraph p is added to read as follows:
o. A space for "remarks" regarding other facts required by this chapter to be recorded or appropriate to identify the voter[.];
p. A space for pre-registering applicants to respond to the following question: "Are you at least 16 years of age and understand that you must be 18 years of age on or before election day to vote, and that until you will be eighteen years of age at the time of such election your registration will be marked 'pending' and you will be unable to cast a ballot in any election?".
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04590-03-9
S. 1100 2 A. 774
§ 2. The election law is amended by adding a new section 5-507 to read as follows:
§ 5-507. Voter pre-registration and education on voter pre-registration. 1. Pre-registration. A person who is at least sixteen years of age and who is otherwise qualified to register to vote may pre-register to vote, and shall be automatically registered upon reaching the age of eligibility as provided by this chapter.
2. Encouragement of student voter registration and pre-registration. Local boards of education are required to adopt policies to promote student voter registration and pre-registration. These policies may include collaboration with county boards of elections to conduct voter registration and pre-registration in high schools. Completion and submission of voter registration or pre-registration forms shall not be a course requirement or graded assignment for students.
§ 3. Paragraph (g) of subdivision 5 of section 5-210 of the election law, as amended by chapter 179 of the laws of 2005, is amended to read as follows:
(g) Notice that the applicant must be a citizen of the United States, [is or will be at least eighteen years old not later than December thirty-first of the calendar year in which he or she registers] is at least sixteen years old when he or she submits an application to register to vote which will be effective for elections occurring on or after the applicant turns eighteen years of age and a resident of the county or city to which application is made.
§ 4. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which 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 are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
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.