BILL NUMBER: S3114

SPONSOR: KRUEGER
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act providing for the state board of elections to undertake a study
on the feasibility of permitting voting by mail, telephone and/or the
internet and to establish pilot projects relating thereto

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill would require that the state board of elections do a study of
the feasibility of voting by mail, telephone and/or over the internet.
It would also empower it to establish pilot programs to evaluate the
feasibility of any of these methods of voting.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 mandates that the state board of elections undertake a study
of the feasibility of voting by mail, telephone and/or over the inter-
net, that such a study may include pilot programs of each method, and
              

that it report to the legislature and the governor the results of the
study along with recommendations.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

One of the primary goals of any representative form of government should
be to have every eligible voter participate. While attaining such a goal
may be a practical impossibility, the legislature must find ways to
increase voter turnout. That is especially true given the serious
decline in turnout over the past four decades in New York State. In the
November 2020 election, New York State ranked 30th in the nation when
only 65.3% of eligible voters casting a ballot according to U.S.
Elections Project statistics. New York's ranking as of 2015 was 46th in
the nation. Since the 1956 election, the percentage of registered voters
who cast ballots has decreased from over 93% to a low of 33.2% in 2014.
While November 2020 election results did show a surge in turnout, these
numbers still lag behind historic high turnouts realized in past
decades. The 2018 election turnout results indicated that almost 50% of
active voters cast ballots in congressional and state legislative races,
as well as the governor's race. However, voter turnout has been as high
as 74% during the 1974 governor's race.

New York has taken steps to increase voting through enacting early
voting, increasing poll sites, and beginning the process of amending the
State Constitution to allow for 'no excuse absentee voting.' This bill
would require the board of elections to examine the possibility of using
mail, telephone and internet voting. Given the constantly low rates of
voter participation in the electoral process, the state should examine
these and other methods of increasing voter turnout.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Minimal.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2019-20 S4242/A7684 - died in committee

2017-18 S54085 No Same As - died in committee

2015-16 S2739 No Same As - died in committee

2013-14 S53252 Same as A3188 Brennan - died in committee

2011-12 S5424 Same As A 5204 notice of consideration, discharged to
rules 2009-10553590 Same As A 6716 Brennan - died in committee

2007-08 S54750 Same As A 7925 Brennan - died in committee

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.