What's happening
This bill requires New York schools serving grades 10-12 to provide access to voter registration and pre-registration for students.
Why it matters
Expands civic engagement opportunities. by requiring high schools (including public, charter, and non-public) to actively facilitate voter registration and pre-registration, helping students participate in democracy as soon as they are eligible.
Mandates clear procedures. for distributing, collecting, and transmitting registration forms between schools and local boards of elections, ensuring students’ applications are processed efficiently and reliably.
Prioritizes education over coercion. by specifying that registering or pre-registering to vote cannot be a graded assignment or course requirement, protecting student autonomy and preventing undue pressure.
Encourages community collaboration. by allowing schools to work with local election boards and outside organizations, potentially increasing outreach and effectiveness in informing students about their voting rights.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Register Students to Vote
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to education
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 40–18
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.152
- Referred to education
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to education
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 47–15
Show 5 earlier actions
- Ordered to third reading cal.1772
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Print number 5073a
- Amend (t) and recommit to education
- Referred to education
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.
Register Students to Vote
In Assembly Committee · Education · Sponsor David Buchwald
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5073--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
April 8, 2019
Introduced by Sens. MAYER, COMRIE, GOUNARDES, HOYLMAN, LIU, MAY, MONT- GOMERY, RAMOS, STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a school voter registration access program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new article 25 to read as follows:
ARTICLE 25
SCHOOL VOTER REGISTRATION ACCESS Section 1301. School voter registration access.
§ 1301. School voter registration access. Each school district, board of cooperative educational services, charter school, and non-public school shall adopt a policy to promote student voter registration and pre-registration pursuant to chapter two of the laws of two thousand nineteen. Such policy shall, in accordance with the provisions of this article, require all schools operated by such school districts, boards of cooperative educational services, charter schools, and non-public schools serving any or all of grades ten, eleven, and twelve to make available access to voter registration and pre-registration applications during the school year for the purposes of educating students about the voting enrollment process and providing eligible students with the opportunity to register or pre-register to vote as applicable. Such policy shall include procedures for acquiring and transmitting voter registration and pre-registration applications to and from the local board of elections and dissemination among their appropriate schools, methods of regular communication with eligible students on the availability of such applications and their right to register or pre-register
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09318-11-9
S. 5073--A 2
to vote and may include collaboration with local boards of elections and outside organizations to assist in making available voter registration and pre-registration applications in any school serving any or all of grades ten, eleven, and twelve. Completion and submission of voter registration or pre-registration forms shall not be a course requirement or graded assignment for students. Local boards of elections shall comply with requests from school districts, boards of cooperative educational services, charter schools, and non-public schools to transmit the requested number of registration and pre-registration applications in such manner as requested.
§ 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020. 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 on or before such 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 education law, in relation to establishing a school voter registration access program
Purpose or general idea of bill
To implement procedures pursuant to Chapter 2 of the Laws of 2019 regarding voter registration and pre-registration for eligible high school students in New York State.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1. Establishes a new Article 25 entitled the School Voter Regis- tration Access Program in education law requiring school districts, boards of cooperative educational services, charter schools, and non- public schools to adopt a policy to promote student voter registration and pre-registration pursuant to chapter 2 of the laws of 2019 for students in grades ten, eleven and twelve. The policy shall include procedures for acquiring and transmitting voter applications to and from the local board of elections and dissemination among their appropriate schools, methods of regular communication with eligible students about the availability of the applications and their right to register to vote. The policy may include collaboration with local boards of elections and outside organizations to assist in making voter registra- tion and pre-registration applications available.
This section further stipulates that completion and submission of voter registration and pre-registration forms is not a course requirement or graded assignment for students and that local election boards must comply with requests for applications.
Section 2 establishes the effective date.
Justification
In recent years, there has been national alarm at our very low rates of voter registration and participation. It is essential that we connect citizens to the electoral process at a young age to educate and inform them of the importance of participating in the voting process and that we instill in them, at a young age, the notion that their voice matters in the political process and in shaping society. Academic literature has highlighted low voting participation rates among young citizens. We can increase the potential for qualified voters to exercise their right to vote and become engaged in lifelong civic responsibility by providing access to registering and pre-registering to vote in schools. Schools have a responsibility to prepare students to be active citizens and are uniquely situated to ensure that all students have the opportunity to register to vote and to participate in the electoral process. Too often these opportunities are not broad enough in scope to reach all students.
In adopting a school voter registration and pre-registration access program for students in grades 10, 11, and 12, we can improve the chanc- es of greater participation in the voting process and promote long-term engagement for civic responsibility and participation. Chapter 2 of the Laws of 2019 expressly authorized pre-registration of 16 and 17-year olds as part of an effort to encourage voting at age 18. This bill
provides the framework to ensure all schools with students of those ages provide the opportunity for students to register to vote.
Prior legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.