NY State Senate Bill 2019-S6532

Archive: Last Bill Status - Signed by Governor

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

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Sep 26, 2019	signed chap.316 delivered to governor
Jun 20, 2019	returned to senate passed assembly ordered to third reading rules cal.434 substituted for a8228b
Jun 19, 2019	referred to election law delivered to assembly passed senate
Jun 18, 2019	ordered to third reading cal.1670
Jun 16, 2019	print number 6532a
Jun 16, 2019	amend and recommit to rules
Jun 15, 2019	referred to rules

Votes

- Jun 19, 2019 - Floor Vote
  S6532
  
  40
  
  Aye
  
  22
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Floor Vote: Jun 19, 2019
      
      aye (40)
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      Bailey
      
      Benjamin
      
      Biaggi
      
      Breslin
      
      Brooks
      
      Carlucci
      
      Comrie
      
      Felder
      
      Gaughran
      
      Gianaris
      
      Gounardes
      
      Harckham
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Jackson
      
      Kaminsky
      
      Kaplan
      
      Kavanagh
      
      Kennedy
      
      Krueger
      
      Liu
      
      Martinez
      
      May
      
      Mayer
      
      Metzger
      
      Montgomery
      
      Myrie
      
      Parker
      
      Persaud
      
      Ramos
      
      Rivera
      
      Salazar
      
      Sanders Jr.
      
      Savino
      
      Sepúlveda
      
      Serrano
      
      Skoufis
      
      Stavisky
      
      Stewart-Cousins
      
      Thomas
      
      nay (22)
      
      Akshar
      
      Amedore
      
      Antonacci
      
      Boyle
      
      Flanagan
      
      Funke
      
      Gallivan
      
      Griffo
      
      Helming
      
      Jacobs
      
      Jordan
      
      LaValle
      
      Lanza
      
      Little
      
      O'Mara
      
      Ortt
      
      Ranzenhofer
      
      Ritchie
      
      Robach
      
      Serino
      
      Seward
      
      Tedisco
  Jun 18, 2019 - Rules Committee Vote
  S6532
  
  12
  
  Aye
  
  7
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Rules Committee Vote: Jun 18, 2019
      
      aye (12)
      
      Benjamin
      
      Breslin
      
      Comrie
      
      Gianaris
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Kennedy
      
      Krueger
      
      Liu
      
      Martinez
      
      Parker
      
      Savino
      
      Stewart-Cousins
      
      nay (7)
      
      Flanagan
      
      Griffo
      
      LaValle
      
      Lanza
      
      Little
      
      Robach
      
      Seward

Bill Amendments

Original

A (Active)

2019-S6532 - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8228
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§5-304 & 5-604, El L

2019-S6532 - Summary

Provides that any change of enrollment after February fourteenth shall take effect seven days after the succeeding June primary.

2019-S6532 - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S6532

SPONSOR: KAVANAGH
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the election law, in relation to
change of enrollment by previously registered voters

 
PURPOSE:

Under current law, when a registered voter seeks to change his/her party
enrollment to a different party, enroll in a party (when not previously
enrolled in any party), or to end his/her enrollment in a party, the
effective change of that enrollment is deferred until the first Tuesday
following the general election. As a result, voters wishing to make such
changes of enrollment may have to wait as long as thirteen months to see
their changes of enrollment take effect.  Under this bill, changes of
enrollment can be made until February 14th in a calendar year. Any
change of enrollment made thereafter would take effect seven days after
the succeeding June primary.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill amends subdivision 3 of section 5-304 of the
Election Law to provide that if a previously registered voter files a
change of enrollment or a new enrollment by February 14th such change of
enrollment or new enrollment shall take effect immediately. Any enroll-
ment made thereafter would take effect seven days after the succeeding
June primary.

Section 2 amends subdivision one of section 5-604 of the election law to
change the date by which the board of elections must publish its list of
registered voters from February 1st to the 21st of such month.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Of paramount importance in a democratic society is not just to be able
to vote for the candidate of one's choice but also to be able to select
the candidates who appear on the ballot. In fact, in many instances this
selection is more significant than the general election itself. In New
York, voters get to partake in this selection process by means of prima-
ry elections. Unfortunately, many voters discover that they are unable
to vote in the party primary of their choice because they are not
enrolled in the party whose primary they wish to vote in.

Voters who seek changes of enrollment discover that such changes would
not be effective until after the November elections, not in time to be
able to vote in the Presidential Primaries themselves. For example,
voters who wished to change their party enrollment to vote in the April
19, 2016 Presidential Primary, would have had to apply for a change of
enrollment 193 days before the Presidential Primary, according to a 2016
report released by the New York State Office of the Attorney General.
The report stated that one of the major "barriers to voter access" in
NYS are the "extremely restrictive deadlines for party enrollment," and
referenced this bill as a solution.

This bill would ensure that voters are fully able to partake in all
steps of the electoral process; including the candidate selection proc-
ess.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

This legislation is not expected to have any impact on state or local
governments.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2019-S6532 - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6532
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               June 15, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. KAVANAGH -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to change of enrollment by
   previously registered voters
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1.  Subdivision  3  of  section 5-304 of the election law, as
 amended by chapter 90 of the  laws  of  1991,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   3. A change of enrollment received by the board of elections not later
 than  [the  twenty-fifth day before the general election] FEBRUARY FOUR-
 TEENTH shall [be deposited in a sealed enrollment box, which  shall  not
 be  opened until the first Tuesday following such general election. Such
 change of enrollment shall be then removed and entered  as  provided  in
 this  article]  TAKE  EFFECT IMMEDIATELY. ANY CHANGE OF ENROLLMENT AFTER
 SUCH DATE SHALL  TAKE  EFFECT  SEVEN  DAYS  AFTER  THE  SUCCEEDING  JUNE
 PRIMARY.
   § 2. Subdivision 1 of section 5-604 of the election law, as amended by
 chapter 5 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  The  board  of elections shall also cause to be published for each
 election district a complete list  of  the  registered  voters  of  each
 election  district.  Such  list  shall,  in  addition to the information
 required for registration lists, include the party  enrollment  of  each
 voter.  At  least  as  many copies of such list shall be prepared as the
 required minimum number of registration lists.
   Lists for all the election districts in a ward  or  assembly  district
 may  be  bound together in one volume. The board of elections shall also
 cause to be published a complete list of names and  residence  addresses
 of  the registered voters, including the party enrollment of each voter,
 for each town and city over which the board has jurisdiction. The  names
 for each town and city may be arranged according to street and number or
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD13404-01-9

 S. 6532                             2
 
 alphabetically.  Such  lists shall be published before the [first] TWEN-
 TY-FIRST day of February. The board shall keep at least five copies  for
 public  inspection  at  each  main office or branch office of the board.
 Surplus  copies of the lists shall be sold at a charge not exceeding the
 cost of publication.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

co-Sponsors

2019-S6532A (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8228
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§5-304 & 5-604, El L

2019-S6532A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides that any change of enrollment after February fourteenth shall take effect seven days after the succeeding June primary.

2019-S6532A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S6532A

SPONSOR: KAVANAGH
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the election law, in relation to
change of enrollment by previously registered voters

 
PURPOSE:

Under current law, when a registered voter seeks to change his/her party
enrollment to a different party, enroll in a party (when not previously
enrolled in any party), or to end his/her enrollment in a party, the
effective change of that enrollment is deferred until the first Tuesday
following the general election. As a result, voters wishing to make such
changes of enrollment may have to wait as long as thirteen months to see
their changes of enrollment take effect. Under this bill, changes of
enrollment can be made until February 14th in a calendar year. Any
change of enrollment made thereafter would take effect seven days after
the succeeding June primary.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill amends subdivision 3 of section 5-304 of the
Election Law to provide that if a previously registered voter file s a
change of enrollment or a new enrollment by February 14th such change of
enrollment or new enrollment shall take effect immediately.  Any enroll-
ment made thereafter would take effect seven days after the succeeding
June primary.

Section 2 amends subdivision one of section 5-604 of the election law to
change the date by which the board of elections must publish its list of
registered voters from February 1st to the 21st of such month.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Of paramount importance in a democratic society is not just to be able
to vote for the candidate of one's choice but also to be able to select
the candidates who appear on the ballot. In fact, in many instances this
selection is more significant than the general election itself. In New
York, voters get to partake in this selection process by means of prima-
ry elections. Unfortunately, many voters discover that they are unable
to vote in the party primary of their choice because they are not
enrolled in the party whose primary they wish to vote in.

Voters who seek changes of enrollment discover that such changes would
not be effective until after the November elections, not in time to be
able to vote in the Presidential Primaries themselves. For example,
voters who wished to change their party enrollment to vote in the April
19, 2016 Presidential Primary, would have had to apply for a change of
enrollment 193 days before the Presidential Primary, according to a 2016
report released by the New York State Office of the Attorney General.
The report stated that one of the major "barriers to voter access" in
NYS are the "extremely restrictive deadlines for party enrollment," and
referenced this bill as a solution.

This bill would ensure that voters are fully able to partake in all
steps of the electoral process; including the candidate selection proc-
ess.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

This legislation is not expected to have any impact on state or local
governments.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2019-S6532A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  6532--A
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               June 15, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. KAVANAGH -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be  committed  to  the  Committee  on  Rules  --  committee
   discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
   to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to change of enrollment by
   previously registered voters

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 5-304  of  the  election  law,  as
 amended  by  chapter  90  of  the  laws  of  1991, is amended to read as
 follows:
   3. A change of enrollment received by  the  board  of  elections  [not
 later  than  the  twenty-fifth  day before the general election shall be
 deposited in a sealed enrollment box, which shall not  be  opened  until
 the  first  Tuesday  following  such  general  election.  Such change of
 enrollment shall be then removed and entered as provided in  this  arti-
 cle]  WILL  TAKE  EFFECT  IMMEDIATELY,  PROVIDED  HOWEVER, ANY CHANGE OF
 ENROLLMENT RECEIVED BY THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS AFTER FEBRUARY  FOURTEENTH
 AND  BEFORE OR ON SEVEN DAYS AFTER THE JUNE PRIMARY SHALL TAKE EFFECT ON
 THE SEVENTH DAY AFTER THE JUNE PRIMARY.
   § 2. Subdivision 1 of section 5-604 of the election law, as amended by
 chapter 5 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   1. The board of elections shall also cause to be  published  for  each
 election  district  a  complete  list  of  the registered voters of each
 election district. Such list  shall,  in  addition  to  the  information
 required  for  registration  lists, include the party enrollment of each
 voter. At least as many copies of such list shall  be  prepared  as  the
 required minimum number of registration lists.
   Lists  for  all  the election districts in a ward or assembly district
 may be bound together in one volume. The board of elections  shall  also
 cause  to  be published a complete list of names and residence addresses
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD13404-02-9

 S. 6532--A                          2
 
 of the registered voters, including the party enrollment of each  voter,
 for  each town and city over which the board has jurisdiction. The names
 for each town and city may be arranged according to street and number or
 alphabetically.  Such  lists shall be published before the [first] TWEN-
 TY-FIRST day of February. The board shall keep at least five copies  for
 public  inspection  at  each  main office or branch office of the board.
 Surplus copies of the lists shall be sold at a charge not exceeding  the
 cost of publication.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S6532

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - Signed by Governor

Jun 19, 2019 - Floor Vote

Floor Vote: Jun 19, 2019

Jun 18, 2019 - Rules Committee Vote

Rules Committee Vote: Jun 18, 2019

Bill Amendments

2019-S6532 - Details

2019-S6532 - Summary

2019-S6532 - Sponsor Memo

2019-S6532 - Bill Text download pdf

co-Sponsors

2019-S6532A (ACTIVE) - Details

2019-S6532A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S6532A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S6532A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S6532

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Brian Kavanagh

Archive: Last Bill Status - Signed by Governor

Bill Amendments

2019-S6532 - Details

2019-S6532 - Summary

2019-S6532 - Sponsor Memo

2019-S6532 - Bill Text download pdf

co-Sponsors

Anna M. Kaplan

John C. Liu

2019-S6532A (ACTIVE) - Details

2019-S6532A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S6532A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S6532A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments