What's happening
This bill requires applicants to provide their social security number when registering to vote through a driver's license application in New York.
Why it matters
Increases Verification of Voter Identity. By requiring a social security number for voter registration through DMV applications, the bill aims to help election officials more effectively verify applicants’ identities, potentially reducing registration errors or fraudulent registrations.
Impacts Privacy and Data Security. Mandating disclosure of social security numbers raises concerns about personal privacy, data protection, and the risk of identity theft, as more agencies (like the DMV and Board of Elections) will handle sensitive information.
Could Affect Voter Participation. Some eligible voters may be discouraged from registering if they are uncomfortable sharing their social security number or do not have one (such as newly naturalized citizens or certain immigrants), which could impact voter turnout and accessibility.
Aligns with Other Registration Processes. The amendment would bring New York’s DMV-based voter registration process more in line with federal requirements for social security number collection, potentially streamlining cross-checks with national databases for eligibility and duplicate registration prevention.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Require Social Security for Voting
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to elections
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7621
IN SENATE
January 31, 2020
Introduced by Sen. JORDAN -- 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 requiring the disclosure of the applicant's social security number when registering to vote on an application for a motor vehicle driver's license
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 5-212 of the election law, as added by chapter 659 of the laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows:
3. The voter registration portion of such forms:
(a) shall not require any information that duplicates the information required on the application for the driver license portion and shall require only such additional information, including the applicant's signature, 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;
(ii) penalties for submission of false registration application;
(iii) that the office where applicant registers shall remain confidential and the information be used only for voter registration purposes;
(iv) if the applicant declines to register, his or her declination shall remain confidential and be used only for voter registration purposes[;].
(d) notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, shall require the applicant to provide his or her social security number.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 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.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15012-01-0
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 requiring the disclo- sure of the applicant's social security number when registering to vote on an application for a motor vehicle driver's license
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends Section 5-212 of the Election Law, requiring that any application to vote "made simultaneously and integrated with an applica- tion for a motor vehicle drivers' license" shall require the applicant to provide their social security number.
Section 2 sets forth the effective date.
Justification
In 2019, New York State enacted Chapter 37 of the Laws of 2019 which allowed undocumented immigrants to acquire drivers' permits and licenses. Whatever the merits or negative effects of that law may be, it poses a significant problem for electoral security; namely, that present applications for drivers licenses include the ability for applicants to register to vote, and this registration is automatically conveyed to the board of elections. While the proponents of Chapter 37 contend that undocumented immigrants wouldn't register to vote of their own volition, relying on the individual judgment of others is decidedly poor public policy and allows for a critical loophole in election law to exist.
This bill remedies some of the problems posed by Chapter 37 by amending the election law to provide that voter registrations included with driv- ers licenses require applicants to provide their social security number. This will ensure that undocumented immigrants cannot register to vote while applying for a driving privilege license, including both written and electronic forms of applications.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
Minimal.
Effective date
On the one hundred and twentieth day after the bill shall have become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.