NY State Senate Bill 2019-S2150

Senate Bill S2150

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Provides that qualified persons who are not registered to vote may register on a day of election at their polling places

download bill text pdf

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

Please enter your contact information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

A valid email address is required.

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2020	referred to elections
Jan 22, 2019	referred to elections

co-Sponsors

2019-S2150 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Elections
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §5-210, El L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2011-2012: S1972
2013-2014: S609
2015-2016: S2483
2017-2018: S3235
2021-2022: S3088
2023-2024: S170

2019-S2150 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides that qualified persons who have never previously registered to vote in this state may apply personally for registration by appearing at the appropriate polling place for the election district in which such person resides on the day such polling place is open for voting; requires establishment of a procedure to enable such registrants to cast their votes at the appropriate polling places.

2019-S2150 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S2150

SPONSOR: GIANARIS
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the election law, in relation to
allowing for polling place voter registration for any qualified person
who is not registered to vote

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 5-210 of election law is amended by adding a new subdivision 1-a
which enables qualified persons to register to vote.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

This legislation seeks to set parameters and guidelines for Election Day
voter registration ("EDR"). Allowing for persons eligible to vote to
register to vote up until, and on, Election Day has increased voter
turnout in the 13 jurisdictions (California, Colorado, Connecticut,
Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Wiscon-
sin, Wyoming and the District of Columbia) in which it has been enacted.
Studies indicate that turnout was 141 higher in EDR states than country

in the 2004 election cycle. New York consistently ranks near the bottom
in voter turnout in the country.  It is imperative that state take every
action necessary to allow eligible voters the involved in elections
until the very last moment when often it is too late to register to
vote. This must be changed, voters should have the ability to register
and vote on Election Day.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2018: Died in Elections
2017: Died in Elections
2016: Died in Elections
2015: Died in Elections
2014: Senate Bill 609A (Gianaris) - Died in Senate Elections Committee
2013: Senate Bill 609 (Gianaris) - Died in Senate Elections Committee
2012: Senate Bill 1972-A (Gianaris) - Died in Senate Elections Committee

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This shall take effect January 1, 2018.

2019-S2150 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2150
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 22, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sens. GIANARIS, BROOKS, HOYLMAN, KRUEGER -- 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  allowing  for  polling
   place  voter  registration  for any qualified person who is not regis-
   tered to vote

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  5-210 of the election law is amended by adding a
 new subdivision 1-a to read as follows:
   1-A. (A) NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF THIS ARTICLE  RELATING
 TO REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS, ANY QUALIFIED PERSON WHO IS NOT REGISTERED
 IN  THIS  STATE  MAY APPLY PERSONALLY FOR REGISTRATION AND ENROLLMENT BY
 APPEARING AT THE APPROPRIATE POLLING PLACE FOR THE ELECTION DISTRICT  IN
 WHICH  HE  OR  SHE RESIDES ON THE DAY OF ANY PRIMARY, GENERAL OR SPECIAL
 ELECTION DURING THE HOURS THAT SUCH POLLING PLACE IS OPEN FOR VOTING. TO
 BE ELIGIBLE TO REGISTER PURSUANT TO  THIS  SUBDIVISION,  A  PERSON  MUST
 PROVIDE  ACCEPTABLE  FORMS  OF  IDENTIFICATION CONTAINING PROOF OF RESI-
 DENCE, AS DETERMINED BY STATE LAW IMPLEMENTING THE HELP  AMERICANS  VOTE
 ACT  OF  2002  (PUBLIC LAW 107-252). ANY PERSON WHO SO REGISTERS TO VOTE
 SHALL EXECUTE THE FOLLOWING INSTRUMENT IN  SUBSTANTIALLY  THE  FOLLOWING
 FORM:
   "I,  (NAME), DO HEREBY CERTIFY, UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY, THAT, TO THE
 BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, I AM A QUALIFIED VOTER, HAVING RESIDED  AT  (PLACE
 OF  RESIDENCE)  FOR  AT  LEAST  THIRTY  DAYS  IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THIS
 ELECTION, THAT I AM NOT DISQUALIFIED ON ANY LEGAL  GROUNDS  FROM  VOTING
 AND THAT I HAVE NOT ALREADY VOTED AT THIS ELECTION."
   (B)  IF  A REGISTRANT IS UNABLE TO PROVIDE VALID PROOF OF RESIDENCE AS
 REQUIRED BY PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION, SUCH  REGISTRANT  MAY  BE
 ALLOWED  TO  REGISTER  FOR AND VOTE IN ANY ELECTION BY AFFIDAVIT BALLOT.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04002-01-9

 S. 2150                             2
 
 SUCH AFFIDAVIT BALLOT SHALL NOT BE COUNTED UNTIL ELECTION OFFICIALS  CAN
 DETERMINE SUCH REGISTRANT'S RESIDENCE AND ELIGIBILITY TO VOTE.
   (C)  THE  BOARD  OF  ELECTIONS  SHALL ESTABLISH A PROCEDURE BY WHICH A
 PERSON WHO REGISTERS PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION MAY CAST  HIS  OR  HER
 VOTE AT THE APPROPRIATE POLLING PLACE.
   § 2. This act shall take effect January 1, 2020.

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Senate Bill S2150

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Michael Gianaris