BILL NUMBER:  S4035

 TITLE OF BILL :
An act to amend the election law, in relation to county board of
election addresses on voter registration forms available on the
internet


 PURPOSE :
This bill is designed to enable the public to complete a voter
registration form on the state board of election website, and have it
automatically addressed to the appropriate county board of elections.
It also enables the public and groups involved in voter registration
to go to the state board website, provide an address and determine the
county and board of elections address.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :
Section 1: Amends election law section 5-210 to add new subdivisions
5-a and 5-b to require the state board of elections to make it
possible for a person to go to its official website to download a
blank voter registration form or to complete the form on line and have
the return address of the registrant and the mailing address for the
registrant's board of elections automatically filled in before it is
downloaded and printed. It also requires that the public be able to go
to the website, enter an address in New York State and be provided
with the name and address of the appropriate county board of
              

elections.

Section 2: Provides that the Act takes effect sixty days after it
becomes law, but authorizes the immediate change of any rule or
regulation necessary to implement the act on its effective date.

 EXISTING LAW :
There is currently no applicable law, and the state board of elections
official website only allows the public to download blank forms or to
complete the form on line, including addressing it to the county board
of elections and inserting the registrant's return address.

 JUSTIFICATION :
Voters who are new to an area, and even some of those who have resided
there for a considerable time, may not know what county they actually
reside in. This may be because they reside at or near a county line,
they are not aware of political or geographic subdivisions, or
because, as in the City of New York, they are living in a borough that
has a different county name, such as Kings County being known as
Brooklyn and Richmond County being known as Staten Island.  Having a
look up feature for addresses and counties is also an invaluable
feature for groups registering such voters. Providing that type of
information is something that databases are particularly capable of
doing.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :
None.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :
None or minimal.

 LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :
None.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This bill is effective sixty days after it becomes law, but it
authorizes the immediate change of any rule or regulation necessary to
implement the act on its effective date.