NY State Senate Bill 2021-S248

Senate Bill S248

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Authorizes the city of New York to establish an electronic voter registration transmittal system for New York city residents

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

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 05, 2022	referred to elections
Jan 06, 2021	referred to elections

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2021-S248 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Elections
Law Section:: New York City
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S6463
2023-2024: S3421

2021-S248 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Authorizes the city of New York to establish and maintain an electronic voter registration transmittal system for New York city residents.

2021-S248 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S248

SPONSOR: MYRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to authorize the city of New York to establish an electronic
voter registration transmittal system for New York city residents; and
providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

This bill would authorize a New York City municipal agency to establish
an electronic voter registration transmittal system for New York City
residents, consistent with local law, until ninety days after the Board
of Elections of the State of New York establishes, and makes accessible
to residents of the city of New York, a statewide electronic voter
registration transmittal system pursuant to Title 8 of Article 5 of the
Election Law as added by Part CCC of Chapter 55 of the laws of 2019.

 
REASONS FOR SUPPORT:

This bill clarifies New York City's authority to create an online voter
registration system for the City's residents in advance of the statewide
online voter registration system to be established by the State Board of
Elections in 2021 at the latest. In 2017, New York City enacted a local
law that mandated the creation of a system that will allow City resi-
dents to complete a voter registration form through a website or mobile
application. This bill would ensure that the local law could be imple-
mented in 2019, and that forms generated as a result of the City system
could be transmitted electronically to the City's Board of Elections.
Online voter registration makes registering to vote more convenient and
accessible, and this bill would enable New York City residents to take
advantage of this important reform ahead of the 2020 presidential
election when voter registration rates typically increase. When the
State Board of Elections implements its statewide online voter registra-
tion system in 2021 or earlier, the bill would phase out the City's
system.

2021-S248 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    248
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 6, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced   by  Sens.  MYRIE,  BIAGGI,  GIANARIS,  GOUNARDES,  HOYLMAN,
   KAVANAGH, KRUEGER, LIU, RIVERA, SALAZAR  --  read  twice  and  ordered
   printed,  and  when  printed  to  be  committed  to  the  Committee on
   Elections
 
 AN ACT to authorize the city of New  York  to  establish  an  electronic
   voter registration transmittal system for New York city residents; and
   providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Notwithstanding any other provision  of  law,  rule,  regu-
 lation  or policy to the contrary, any municipal agency so authorized by
 local law of the city of New York may establish and  maintain  an  elec-
 tronic personal voter registration transmittal system for applicants who
 are  New  York city residents. Such system may be established before the
 establishment of any system otherwise authorized by law, and the  exist-
 ence  of  the  system  authorized by this section shall not be deemed to
 preclude New York city residents from  utilizing  any  system  otherwise
 authorized  by  law.  Completed  applications  that  are filed using the
 system authorized by this section, when  transmitted  to  the  board  of
 elections  in  the  city  of  New  York not later than the twentieth day
 before the next ensuing primary,  general  or  special  election,  shall
 entitle the applicant to vote in such election provided the board deter-
 mines  that  the applicant is otherwise qualified. Applications shall be
 processed by such board in the manner prescribed in by section 5-210  of
 the election law or, if the applicant is already registered to vote from
 another  address  in New York state, in the manner prescribed by section
 5-208 of the election law. Such board shall send the appropriate  notice
 of  approval or rejection as required by either subdivision 9 of section
 5-210 of the election law or subdivision  5  of  section  5-208  of  the
 election  law. Such system may utilize an electronic or manual signature
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02391-01-1

 S. 248                              2
 
 that is in the custody of the department of motor  vehicles,  the  state
 board  of  elections,  any  other  agency designated by section 5-211 or
 5-212 of the election law, or any agency designated as  a  participating
 agency  or authorized to collect such signatures under section 1057-a or
 1057-f of the New York city charter, with the consent of the  individual
 that  produced  the signature. The online voter registration application
 utilized by such  electronic  personal  voter  registration  transmittal
 system  may  contain  such  minor,  non-substantive  variations  of  the
 requirements of section 5-210 of the election law with  respect  to  the
 format  and content of the application as may be reasonably necessary to
 facilitate the electronic collection, transmission, and storage of data,
 provided that the application shall include all of the  voter  registra-
 tion information required by such section.
   §  2.  This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately and shall be deemed
 repealed 90 days after the date that a statewide electronic voter regis-
 tration transmittal system, to be established  by  the  state  board  of
 elections pursuant to title 8 of article 5 of the election law, as added
 by part CCC of chapter 55 of the laws of 2019, is operational and acces-
 sible to residents of the city of New York. The state board of elections
 shall notify the legislative bill drafting commission upon the date that
 such  system  is operational and accessible in order that the commission
 may maintain an accurate and timely effective data base of the  official
 text of the laws of the state of New York in furtherance of effectuating
 the  provisions of section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of
 the public officers law.

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