NY State Senate Bill 2017-S1661

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2018	referred to elections
Jan 10, 2017	referred to elections

co-Sponsors

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2017-S1661 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9609
Current Committee:: Senate Elections
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §5-500, add §5-507, El L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2011-2012: S5256
2013-2014: S1992
2015-2016: S857, A2529
2019-2020: S138, A774

2017-S1661 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to voter pre-registration and education on voter pre-registration.

2017-S1661 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S1661

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the election law, in relation to
voter pre-registration

 PURPOSE :

To allow those 16 and 17 years of age to pre-register to vote.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1. Amends paragraph o of subdivision 4 of section 5-500 of the
election law and adds a new paragraph p that provide for the addition
of a space on a voter registration form for pre-registering
applicants.

Section 2. Adds a new section 5-507 to the election law to allow a
person who is at least 16 years old and is otherwise qualified to
register to vote, to pre-register to vote with that voter becoming
automatically registered upon reaching the age of eligibility. This
section also requires local boards of education to adopt policies to
promote student voter registration and pre-registration.

Section 3. Effective date.

 JUSTIFICATION :

There are currently at least a dozen states that allow 16- and/or
17-year-olds to pre-register to vote. The age 16 is a sensible time
for the DMV and high schools to collect information for voter
pre-registration, as it is the time when a significant amount of
people have their first interaction with the DMV, and it is an age
where school is still compulsory in New York. Pre-registration allows
this information to be collected at a convenient time for the
individual rather than making them return to the boards of elections
or a state agency when they reach eligible voting age. According to
the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2010 only 46.6% of eligible New York voters
between the ages of 18 and 24 were registered to vote (the most recent
data available). This percentage is likely to increase when
information is gathered to pre-register 16- and 17-year-olds, and then
automatically registering young voters when they reach an eligible
voting age. Getting young people involved in the election process
allows them to form the habit of voting and contribute to civic life
early.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

2015-16: S845/A2529 - Elections/Reported to Ways and Means
2014: S1992-B/A2042-13 - Elections/Passed Assembly
2013: S1992-A/A2042-A - 3rd Reading Calendar/Passed Assembly
2011-12: S5256/A7440 - Elections/Election Law

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

To be determined.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law.

2017-S1661 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1661
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 10, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. CARLUCCI, ADDABBO, AVELLA, BRESLIN, DILAN, HOYLMAN,
   KENNEDY, KRUEGER, PARKER, PERKINS, SAVINO, SERRANO -- 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 voter pre-registration

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.    Paragraph  o  of  subdivision 4 of section 5-500 of the
 election law, as amended by chapter 659 of the laws of 1994, is  amended
 and a new paragraph p is added to read as follows:
   o.  A space for "remarks" regarding other facts required by this chap-
 ter to be recorded or appropriate to identify the voter[.];
   P. A SPACE FOR PRE-REGISTERING APPLICANTS TO RESPOND TO THE  FOLLOWING
 QUESTION: "ARE YOU AT LEAST 16 YEARS OF AGE AND UNDERSTAND THAT YOU MUST
 BE 18 YEARS OF AGE ON OR BEFORE ELECTION DAY TO VOTE, AND THAT UNTIL YOU
 REACH  THE  AGE  OF 18 YOUR REGISTRATION WILL BE MARKED AS 'PENDING' AND
 YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO CAST A BALLOT IN ANY ELECTION?".
   § 2. The election law is amended by adding a new section 5-507 to read
 as follows:
   § 5-507. VOTER PRE-REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION ON  VOTER  PRE-REGISTRA-
 TION.  1.  PRE-REGISTRATION.   A PERSON WHO IS AT LEAST SIXTEEN YEARS OF
 AGE AND WHO IS OTHERWISE QUALIFIED TO REGISTER TO VOTE MAY  PRE-REGISTER
 TO  VOTE, AND SHALL BE AUTOMATICALLY REGISTERED UPON REACHING THE AGE OF
 ELIGIBILITY, FOLLOWING VERIFICATION OF THE PERSON'S  QUALIFICATIONS  AND
 ADDRESS.
   2.  ENCOURAGEMENT  OF STUDENT VOTER REGISTRATION AND PRE-REGISTRATION.
 LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION ARE REQUIRED  TO  ADOPT  POLICIES  TO  PROMOTE
 STUDENT  VOTER  REGISTRATION  AND  PRE-REGISTRATION.  THESE POLICIES MAY
 INCLUDE COLLABORATION WITH COUNTY BOARDS OF ELECTIONS TO  CONDUCT  VOTER
 REGISTRATION  AND  PRE-REGISTRATION  IN  HIGH  SCHOOLS.  COMPLETION  AND
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01457-01-7

 S. 1661                             2
 
 SUBMISSION OF VOTER REGISTRATION OR PRE-REGISTRATION FORMS SHALL NOT  BE
 A COURSE REQUIREMENT OR GRADED ASSIGNMENT FOR STUDENTS.
   §  3. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.  Effective  immediate-
 ly,  the  addition,  amendment and/or repeal of any rules or regulations
 necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective  date  are
 authorized to be made on or before such date.

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Senate Bill S1661

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

co-Sponsors

2017-S1661 (ACTIVE) - Details

2017-S1661 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2017-S1661 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2017-S1661 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S1661

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Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

co-Sponsors

2017-S1661 (ACTIVE) - Details

2017-S1661 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2017-S1661 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2017-S1661 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments