NY State Senate Bill 2023-S170

Senate Bill S170

2023-2024 Legislative Session

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

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Current 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 03, 2024	referred to elections
Jan 04, 2023	referred to elections

co-Sponsors

2023-S170 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8175
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
2019-2020: S2150
2021-2022: S3088

2023-S170 (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.

2023-S170 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S170

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

 
PURPOSE:

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

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

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

Section 2 sets the effective date.

EXISTING LAW:

Click here

 
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 23 jurisdictions (California, Colorado, Connecticut,
Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota,
Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, Utah,
Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the District of
Columbia) in which it has been enacted.

Studies have consistently shown states that make it easier for people to
vote through policies like same day registration and vote by mail
programs have higher turnout - the 2020 election, where more votes were
cast by mail than ever before is a perfect example. New York consistent-
ly ranks near the bottom in voter turnout in the country.  It is imper-
ative 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.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2022:Died in Elections

2021:Died in Elections

2020:Died in Elections

2019:Died in Elections

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

 
LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Click here

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This shall take effect the first of January next succeeding the date on
which it shall have become a law.

2023-S170 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    170
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 4, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sens. GIANARIS, 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, OR
 AT ANY POLLING PLACE FOR EARLY VOTING ESTABLISHED  PURSUANT  TO  SECTION
 8-600  OF  THIS CHAPTER IN THE COUNTY WHERE HE OR SHE RESIDES DURING THE
 HOURS THAT SUCH POLLING PLACE IS OPEN FOR EARLY VOTING.  TO BE  ELIGIBLE
 TO REGISTER PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION, A PERSON MUST PROVIDE ACCEPTA-
 BLE FORMS OF IDENTIFICATION CONTAINING PROOF OF RESIDENCE, 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."
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01878-01-3

 S. 170                              2
 
   (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.
 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 the first of January next succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law.

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Senate Bill S170

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Sponsored By

Michael Gianaris