S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7194
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 10, 2020
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. BENJAMIN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 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

 S. 7194                             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.