BILL NUMBER: S4677

SPONSOR: LANZA
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the penal law, in relation to establishing an offense
for fraud relating to voter registration forms

 
PURPOSE:

To establish an offense for fraud relating to voter registration forms.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one amends the penal law by adding new section 190.90.

Section two is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

              

Misleading advertising and outreach attempts to get registered voters to
switch or enroll in a political party when no such request was made
leads to confusion among voters who are already registered and enrolled
to vote in their respective party.

Recently, pre-filled registration forms that have been mailed or emailed
to residents already registered to vote has created the perception that
their registration with the Board of Elections has been tampered with.

As government has made progress in registering the public to vote or
change their party affiliation, outside interests are duping the public
and interfering in the registration process. Recently, in an attempt to
influence primary elections, outside groups/organizations are making an
all out effort to interfere in primaries by sending voter registration
forms with a party affiliation already checked off. This has registered
voters confused and upset.

In order to protect individual rights and our democratic republic by
these unscrupulous and misleading tactics, this bill creates in the
Penal Law, a Class B misdemeanor for the crime of fraud relating to
voter registration forms. The bill also sets fines of $1000 for each
offense of fraud relating to voter registration forms.

Enacting this bill into law will protect individual voting rights by
safeguarding their vote and if they choose to do so, the right to enroll
in a political party without influence from scrupulous and undemocratic
actors. This bill safeguards the publics voting right, which is the most
sacred right as a citizen of the United States of America and a resident
of New York State.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.