S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8998
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              January 9, 2020
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Election Law
 
 AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to voter registration form
   distribution and assistance
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 18 of section 5-211 of  the  election  law,  as
 amended  by  a  chapter  of  the laws of 2019, amending the election law
 relating to voter registration  form  distribution  and  assistance,  as
 proposed  in  legislative  bills  numbers  S. 1128-A and A.   2599-A, is
 amended to read as follows:
   18. (a) (I) On or before  January  first,  two  thousand  twenty,  all
 institutions of the state university of New York and the city university
 of  New  York  shall create and make available to all students a webpage
 for voter education on each such  institution's  website,  containing  a
 link  to an application for voter registration, a link to an application
 for an absentee ballot, contact information  for  the  county  board  of
 elections,  and  the  name and contact information for the administrator
 responsible for voter registration assistance on each campus.
   (II) Each such institution shall, at the beginning of the school year,
 and again in January of a year in which  the  president  of  the  United
 States  is  to be elected, provide an application for voter registration
 AND AN APPLICATION FOR AN ABSENTEE BALLOT to each student in  each  such
 institution.  [Such institutions shall also offer each student an appli-
 cation for an absentee ballot. Such institutions shall provide the  same
 degree of assistance as required of participating agencies.] Each insti-
 tution  shall  be considered in compliance with [these] THE requirements
 OF THIS SUBPARAGRAPH for each student to whom the institution  electron-
 ically  transmits a message containing the link to the webpage for voter
 education [and], the link to an application for voter  registration  AND
 THE  LINK  TO AN APPLICATION FOR AN ABSENTEE BALLOT, if such information
 is in an electronic message devoted exclusively to voter registration.
   (III) EACH SUCH INSTITUTION SHALL PROVIDE THE SAME DEGREE  OF  ASSIST-
 ANCE AS REQUIRED OF PARTICIPATING AGENCIES.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
              

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01179-06-9

 A. 8998                             2
 
   (b)  [Each  institution] THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AND THE CITY
 UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, ON BEHALF OF EACH INSTITUTION WITHIN ITS SYSTEM,
 shall on or before [January] JUNE first, two thousand twenty,  and  each
 subsequent  year, submit a report DISAGGREGATED ACCORDING TO EACH INSTI-
 TUTION to the state board of elections that includes:
   (i) the efforts of the institution to register voters in the preceding
 calendar year;
   (ii)  a  date-stamped  screen  shot of the webpage for voter education
 that contains the required  information  under  paragraph  (a)  of  this
 subdivision;
   (iii)  the  number  of students who were registered for course work in
 the preceding twelve months  at  such  institution  and  the  number  of
 [students  who clicked] CLICKS on the links to online voter registration
 and absentee ballot applications; and
   (iv) any other efforts or recommendations  the  institution  plans  to
 implement  to  improve  access to voter registration and absentee ballot
 voting for students at the institution.
   (C) THE STATE BOARD OF  ELECTIONS  SHALL  MAKE  THE  REPORTS  PROVIDED
 PURSUANT  TO PARAGRAPH (B) OF THIS SUBDIVISION PUBLICLY AVAILABLE ON ITS
 WEBSITE.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the  same  date  and  in  the  same
 manner  as  a  chapter  of  the  laws of 2019, amending the election law
 relating to voter registration  form  distribution  and  assistance,  as
 proposed  in  legislative  bills numbers S. 1128-A and A.  2599-A, takes
 effect.