Link Tax Prep to Voting

Title of bill

An act to amend the tax law and the election law, in relation to requir- ing tax preparation software to provide a link to voter registration websites

Purpose or general idea of bill

This bill would be known as the "Representation through Taxation" bill. It would allow individuals the opportunity to register to vote on tax return software when doing their taxes. New York consistently ranks in the low 30 to 40 percent in voter turnout. This legislation would give one more avenue for potential voters to register. This legislation would also place additional securities in our election by registering with information they must place on tax returns for proper identification.

Summary of provisions

Section 1. Section 171 of the tax law is amended by adding a new subdi- vision twenty-nine which require that all electronic income tax prepara- tion software offered for sale or use in the state of New York to include a prompt providing a link to users of such software to a New York state voter registration application website pursuant to section 5-231 of the election law.

Section 2. The election law is amended by adding a new section 5-231 to read as follows the department of taxation and finance, in consultation with the state board of elections, shall require that all electronic income tax preparation software offered for sale or use in the state of New York include a prompt to users of such software which shall provide a link to a New York state voter registration application website.

Justification

No voter registration process is perfect, but New York's process is riddled with flaws. "Representation through Taxation" would add a vital opportunity to increase voter rolls and participation in elections. The United States is one of only a few democracies in the world where the government does not take responsibility for registering voters. Instead, our government leaves the construction of voter registration processes to partisan and non-partisan voter registration organizations, political parties, election officials, and active citizens. It is not surprising that voter registration and turnout in New York State is some of the lowest in the country.

In contrast, the international norm is an orderly process of automatic registration of every citizen who reaches voting age and of every person who becomes a citizen. Citizens are automatically placed on voter rolls upon reaching voting age and/or government officials actively work to register all citizens. For example, in Iraq's first democratic elections, election officials automatically transferred the names of Iraqis from ration lists to voter rolls.

Voter registration should be the mutual responsibility of citizens and their government. The government should not only facilitate registra- tion; it should actively register adults who are eligible to vote as part of its responsibility to have accurate rolls. 100% voter registra- tion should be the goal. Allowing voters to register through tax soft- ware has the potential to bring together conservatives who are concerned about fraudulent voter registrations and liberals who are concerned about anemic political participation.

This year, when Minnesotans file their taxes through state-approved electronic filing systems, they'll see a new prompt in the long series of tax-return questions asking if they'd like to register to vote. The message directs the taxpayer to the Minnesota Secretary of State's website, where any eligible voter with an email address can register to vote online.

Prior legislative history

2017/2018: Refereed to Investigations and Gov't Operations

Fiscal implications

Yet to be determined.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall become law.