Senate Democrats Protect And Expand Voting Rights On Day One

(Albany,  New York) – Senator Parker and the new Senate Majority started the 2019 Legislative Session with a major victory. Under the auspices of Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins – the first African American woman to lead a legislative body in the State of New York, the Senate Democratic Conference successfully  passed a package of bills to protect and expand the voting rights of New York State residents.
 

Senator said, “Voting and fair elections underpin a functioning democracy,but for far to long Senate Republicans have stifled common sense reforms that Senate Democrats have long supported. I applaud Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and the Senate Democratic Conference for making these reforms a top priority as we embark on a historic legislative session.”

The historic legislation passed by the Senate Democratic Majority includes seven bills:
 

Early Voting: This bill, S.1102 introduced by Chair of the Elections Committee Senator Zellnor Myrie, will establish an Early Voting system to permit eligible voters in New York State to vote in person during a designated period prior to an election.

Consolidation of Federal and State Primaries: This bill, S.1103 introduced by Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, will save taxpayer dollars and make state primary elections the same day as federal primary elections. It also ensures that New York State’s election law complies with the federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act.

Closing the LLC Loophole: This bill, S.1101, introduced by Senator Brian Kavanagh, will amend Election Law to hold LLC’s to the same aggregate contribution limit of $5,000 that applies to corporations. The amendment would require the disclosure of the identity and proportion of ownership of all direct and indirect owners of the membership interests in the LLC. This legislation will also amend the Election Law to require all contributions made to political committees or campaigns by an LLC be attributed to each member of the LLC in proportion to the member’s ownership interest.

Same-Day Voter Registration: This bill, S.1048 introduced by Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, amends the constitution to remove the ten-day advance voter registration requirement, subject to second passage of the next legislature and approval by a statewide referendum.

No-Excuse Absentee Voting: This bill, S.1049 introduced by Senator Leroy Comrie will amend the state Constitution to allow for any voter to request to vote by mail without declaring reason subject to second passage of the next legislature and approval by a statewide referendum.

Voter Registration Transfers: This bill, S.1099, introduced by Senator David Carlucci, will require the Board of Elections to transfer the registration and enrollment of a voter to wherever they move in New York State.

Voter Pre-Registration: This bill, S.1100, introduced by Senator David Carlucci, will enable 16- and 17-year olds to pre-register to vote and requires local boards of education to adopt policies to promote student voter registration and pre-registration.