NY State Senate Bill 2015-S857

Archive: Last 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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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 06, 2016	referred to elections
Jan 07, 2015	referred to elections

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2015-S857 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A2529
Current Committee:: Senate Elections
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §5-500, add §5-507, El L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2011-2012: S5256
2013-2014: S1992
2017-2018: S1661, A1070, A9609
2019-2020: S138, A774

2015-S857 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to voter pre-registration and education on voter pre-registration.

2015-S857 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                BILL NUMBER:S857

TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the election law, in relation to voter
pre-registration

PURPOSE:

To allow those 16 and 17 years of age to pre-register to vote.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Amends paragraph o of subdivision 4 of section 5-500 of the
election law and adds a new paragraph p that provide for the addition
of a space on a voter registration form for pre-registering
applicants.

Section 2. Adds a new section 5-507 to the election law to allow a
person who is at least 16 years old and is otherwise qualified to
register to vote, to pre-register to vote with that voter becoming
automatically registered upon reaching the age of eligibility. This
section also requires local boards of education to adopt policies to
promote student voter registration and pre-registration.

Section 3. Effective date.

JUSTIFICATION:

There are currently at least a dozen states that allow 16- and/or
17-year-olds to pre-register to vote. The age 16 is a sensible time
for the DMV and high schools to collect information for voter
pre-registration, as it is the time when a significant amount of
people have their first interaction with the DMV, and it is an age
where school is still compulsory in New York. Pre-registration allows
this information to be collected at a convenient time for the
individual rather than making them return to the boards of elections
or a state agency when they reach eligible voting age.  According to
the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2010 only 46.6% of eligible New York voters
between the ages of 18 and 24 were registered to vote (the most recent
data available). This percentage is likely to increase when
information is gathered to pre-register 16- and 17year-olds, and then
automatically registering young voters when they reach an eligible
voting age. Getting young people involved in the election process
allows them to form the habit of voting and contribute to civic life
early

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2014: S1992-B/A2042-B - Elections/Passed Assembly

2013: S1992-A/A2042-A - 3rd Reading Calendar/Passed Assembly

2011-12: S5256/A7440 - Elections/Election Law

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:


To be determined.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

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

2015-S857 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                   857

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                             January 7, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sens. CARLUCCI, ADDABBO, AVELLA, BRESLIN, DILAN, ESPAIL-
  LAT, HASSELL-THOMPSON, HOYLMAN,  KENNEDY,  KRUEGER,  PARKER,  PERKINS,
  SAVINO, SERRANO -- 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 voter pre-registration

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1.   Paragraph o of subdivision 4  of  section  5-500  of  the
election  law, as amended by chapter 659 of the laws of 1994, is amended
and a new paragraph p is added to read as follows:
  o. A space for "remarks" regarding other facts required by this  chap-
ter to be recorded or appropriate to identify the voter[.];
  P.  A SPACE FOR PRE-REGISTERING APPLICANTS TO RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING
QUESTION: "ARE YOU AT LEAST 16 YEARS OF AGE AND UNDERSTAND THAT YOU MUST
BE 18 YEARS OF AGE ON OR BEFORE ELECTION DAY TO VOTE, AND THAT UNTIL YOU
REACH THE AGE OF 18 YOUR REGISTRATION WILL BE MARKED  AS  'PENDING'  AND
YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO CAST A BALLOT IN ANY ELECTION?".
  S 2. The election law is amended by adding a new section 5-507 to read
as follows:
  S  5-507.  VOTER PRE-REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION ON VOTER PRE-REGISTRA-
TION. 1. PRE-REGISTRATION.  A PERSON WHO IS AT LEAST  SIXTEEN  YEARS  OF
AGE  AND WHO IS OTHERWISE QUALIFIED TO REGISTER TO VOTE MAY PRE-REGISTER
TO VOTE, AND SHALL BE AUTOMATICALLY REGISTERED UPON REACHING THE AGE  OF
ELIGIBILITY,  FOLLOWING  VERIFICATION OF THE PERSON'S QUALIFICATIONS AND
ADDRESS.
  2. ENCOURAGEMENT OF STUDENT VOTER REGISTRATION  AND  PRE-REGISTRATION.
LOCAL  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION  ARE  REQUIRED TO ADOPT POLICIES TO PROMOTE
STUDENT VOTER REGISTRATION  AND  PRE-REGISTRATION.  THESE  POLICIES  MAY
INCLUDE  COLLABORATION  WITH COUNTY BOARDS OF ELECTIONS TO CONDUCT VOTER
REGISTRATION  AND  PRE-REGISTRATION  IN  HIGH  SCHOOLS.  COMPLETION  AND

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD03809-02-5

S. 857                              2

SUBMISSION  OF VOTER REGISTRATION OR PRE-REGISTRATION FORMS SHALL NOT BE
A COURSE REQUIREMENT OR GRADED ASSIGNMENT FOR STUDENTS.
  S  3. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
ing the date on which it shall have become a law.  Effective  immediate-
ly,  the  addition,  amendment and/or repeal of any rules or regulations
necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective  date  are
authorized to be made on or before such date.

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Senate Bill S857

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

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2015-S857 (ACTIVE) - Details

2015-S857 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2015-S857 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2015-S857 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

Actions

co-Sponsors

2015-S857 (ACTIVE) - Details

2015-S857 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2015-S857 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2015-S857 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments