BILL NUMBER:S5125

TITLE OF BILL:

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY proposing an amendment
to section 6 of article 2 of the constitution, in relation to the
personal appearance requirement for voter registration

PURPOSE OF BILL:

This bill amends the New York State constitution to repeal the require-
ment that in order to register to vote a voter make "personal applica-
tion". This amendment is necessary in order to pave the way for a voter
registration system whereby every citizen, upon a specific occurrence,
is registered to vote automatically by the state.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS OF BILL:

Section one of this bill repeals the terms "upon personal application"
currently contained within section 6 of article 2 of the state constitu-
tion. This provision requires citizens, upon their own personal initi-
ative register to vote.

JUSTIFICATION:

In March of 2015 Oregon became the first state in the country to create
              

a system of voter registration whereby any Oregon citizen with a valid
driver's license is automatically registered to vote. Oregon predicts
this initiative will add up to 300,000 new voters to an already engaged
electorate of which 52 percent cast ballots in the November 2014
election. In the same election, 28.8 percent of New York State voters
cast ballots, tying for the third lowest turnout among states in the
nation's lowest voter turnout since 1942.

This constitutional resolution is necessary to pave the way for the
state legislature to enact a system of automatic voter registration
should it so desire. Should a voter not wish to be registered, he or she
can opt out of the system or simply not return the election ballot in
the mail since Oregon administers an all mail election system.

Currently, the state constitution requires a voter "upon personal appli-
cation" to register himself or herself to vote. The state's voter regis-
tration system further outlines in Article 5 of the Election law addi-
tional requirements and methods pertaining to voter registration. This
constitutional requirement would need to be passed and ratified however,
in the event the state wished to move forward with such a system whereby
voters were automatically registered.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

None to the state.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

Resolved (if the) concur, that the foregoing amendment be referred to
the first regular legislative session convening after the next succeed-
ing general election of members of the assembly, and, in conformity with
section 1 of article 19 of the constitution, be published for three
months previous to the time of such election.