Bill Text: NY A03843 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Enacts the young adult voter registration act; requires each public high school within the state to make voter registration forms available to all students.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 29-2)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-03-19 - REFERRED TO ELECTIONS [A03843 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A03843-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          3843
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 30, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by M. of A. SEPULVEDA, MOSLEY, LAVINE, RAIA, SOLAGES, MAYER,
          GOTTFRIED, BLAKE, CRESPO -- Multi-Sponsored by  --  M.  of  A.  LOPEZ,
          RAMOS,  RICHARDSON  --  read  once  and  referred  to the Committee on
          Election Law
        AN ACT to amend the election law, in  relation  to  enacting  the  young
          adult voter registration act
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Legislative findings.  The  legislature  hereby  finds  and
     2  declares  that  voting  is a central tenet of democracy. The vitality of
     3  the democratic process depends on voter participation in elections. Yet,
     4  far too few New Yorkers vote in local, state or national elections,  and
     5  voter  participation  has  been  declining.  The  legislature finds that
     6  affirmative steps are necessary to encourage and increase voter  partic-
     7  ipation in all elections.
     8    The  legislature  further  finds that this decline and lack of partic-
     9  ipation is due, in part, to the fact that voters find  it  difficult  to
    10  register  to vote. Although state law provides mechanisms for distribut-
    11  ing voter registration forms by state agencies as part  of  agency-based
    12  voter  registration  programs,  the  department  of  education  does not
    13  participate in such programs. The legislature finds that the  department
    14  of  education is uniquely positioned in the state to enhance the partic-
    15  ipation of young people in the democratic process by distributing  voter
    16  registration forms to potential young voters.
    17    §  2.  This  act  shall  be known and may be cited as the "young adult
    18  voter registration act".
    19    § 3. The election law is amended by adding a new section 5-231 to read
    20  as follows:
    21    § 5-231. Young adult voter registration. 1.  Registration  of  voters.
    22  Each public or private high school within the state shall make available
    23  during  the  school  year  to  all  students  such  materials  as may be
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02201-01-7
        A. 3843                             2
     1  published by the board of elections relating to voter registration  and,
     2  where  appropriate,  shall  provide  applications  for  registration and
     3  enrollment, and may assist in the execution of such applications.
     4    2.  Registration  of  graduating  seniors. The department of education
     5  shall provide a postage paid voter registration form to each  graduating
     6  student who receives a high school diploma, including but not limited to
     7  a  regents,  local,  general  equivalency  or  individualized  education
     8  program diploma, or to any student who requests one.
     9    3. Forms to be available at school. The department of education  shall
    10  ensure  that  postage paid voter registration forms are available in the
    11  main or central office of each high school under the jurisdiction of the
    12  department for students who wish to obtain  one.  The  department  shall
    13  also  ensure  that each such high school provides adequate notice to its
    14  students of the availability of  such  forms  in  its  main  or  central
    15  office.
    16    4. Sufficient quantity of forms. The department shall request from the
    17  board  of elections a sufficient quantity of voter registration forms to
    18  meet the requirements of this section.
    19    § 4. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day  after  it  shall
    20  have become a law.