What's happening
This bill requires New York public high schools to provide voter registration materials and forms to eligible students.
Why it matters
Promotes Early Civic Engagement. By making voter registration materials and forms readily available in high schools, the bill encourages young people to engage with the democratic process as soon as they are eligible, potentially leading to higher lifelong voter participation rates.
Reduces Barriers to Registration. With forms and assistance available on campus, eligible students are less likely to face logistical or informational obstacles that might otherwise prevent them from registering to vote.
School Involvement in Civics. The bill makes voter registration a shared responsibility between schools and the board of elections, integrating civic education and action into the high school experience, which may foster a culture of active citizenship.
Statewide Consistency and Oversight. By requiring the state education department to ensure adequate supplies of forms and proper notification to students, the bill aims for uniform implementation across all public high schools, reducing disparities between districts.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Register Young Voters in Schools
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to elections
- Referred to elections
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1453
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 15, 2019
Introduced by Sens. SANDERS, SEPULVEDA -- 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 enacting the young adult voter registration act
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "young adult voter registration act".
§ 2. The election law is amended by adding a new section 5-231 to read as follows:
§ 5-231. Young adult voter registration. 1. Registration of voters. Each public high school within the state shall make available during the school year to all students such materials as may be published by the board of elections relating to voter registration and, where appropriate, shall provide applications for registration and enrollment, and may assist in the execution of such applications.
2. Registration of young adults. Each school district shall distribute a voter registration form to any student seventeen years old or older that will be eighteen years old at the time of the next general election.
3. Forms to be available at school. The state education department shall ensure that voter registration forms provided by the board of elections are available in the main or central office of each high school under the jurisdiction of the department for students who wish to obtain one. The department shall also ensure that each such high school provides adequate notice to its students of the availability of such forms in its main or central office.
4. Sufficient quantity of forms. The department shall request from the board of elections a sufficient quantity of voter registration forms to meet the requirements of this section.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06335-01-9
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 enacting the young adult voter registration act
Purpose of the bill
To ensure high school seniors across the state have access to voter registration information and forms.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 provides this act shall be known and may be cited as the "young adult voter registration act."
Section 2 amends the election law by adding a new section 5-231 provid- ing each public high school within the state shall make available to all students materials published by the Board of Elections relating to voter registration and, where appropriate, shall provide applications for registration and enrollment, and may assist in the execution of such applications. This section provides also that these registration forms are to be made available at the schools and in sufficient quantities.
Section 3 provides the date this act shall take effect.
Justification
Voting is a central tenet of democracy. The vitality of the democratic process depends on voter participation in elections. Yet, far too few New Yorkers vote in local, state or national elections, and voter participation has been declining. Affirmative steps are necessary to encourage and increase voter participation in all elections.
This decline and lack of participation is due, in part, to the fact that voters find it difficult to register to vote. Although state law provides mechanisms for distributing voter registration forms by state agencies as part of agency-based voter registration programs, the Department of Education does not participate in such programs. The Department of Education is uniquely positioned in the state to enhance the participation of young people in the democratic process by distrib- uting voter registration forms to potential young voters.
Legislative history
2016: A9463 - Reported referred to ways means
Fiscal implications
To be determined
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the thirteenth 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.