Bill Text: NY A05204 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires a government photo identification card to be presented when casting a ballot; provides for a method to receive a government photo identification card at no charge; provides that notaries are not permitted to collect a fee for collecting the documents required.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 19-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-12 - referred to election law [A05204 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-A05204-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5204

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 12, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. DeSTEFANO, BRABENEC, MILLER, DiPIETRO, DURSO,
          McDONOUGH, REILLY, MANKTELOW, SMITH, BLANKENBUSH,  ANGELINO,  MIKULIN,
          K. BROWN,  E. BROWN,  LEMONDES,  HAWLEY,  SIMPSON, PALMESANO -- Multi-
          Sponsored by -- M. of A. PIROZZOLO -- read once and  referred  to  the
          Committee on Election Law

        AN ACT to amend the election law, the administrative code of the city of
          New  York,  the  public health law and the vehicle and traffic law, in
          relation to requiring a government issued photo identification card to
          be presented when casting a ballot

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1. Section 8-303 of the election law, as added by chapter 420
     2  of the laws of 2004 and subparagraph 1 of paragraph (b) of subdivision 3
     3  as amended by chapter 160 of the laws of 2005, is  amended  to  read  as
     4  follows:
     5    §  8-303. [Initial voter] Voter identification. 1. Applicability. Each
     6  board of elections, in a uniform  and  nondiscriminatory  manner,  shall
     7  require  a  voter  to  meet  the requirements of subdivision two of this
     8  section [if:
     9    (a) the individual registered to vote in a jurisdiction by mail on  or
    10  after January first, two thousand three; and
    11    (b) the individual has not previously voted in an election for federal
    12  office in the jurisdiction of the board of elections].
    13    2.  Requirements. (a) In general. An individual meets the requirements
    14  of this subdivision if the individual:
    15    (1) in the case of an individual who votes in person[:  (i)]  presents
    16  to  the  appropriate  election inspector, clerk or coordinator a current
    17  and valid government issued photo identification; [or
    18    (ii) presents to the appropriate election inspector, clerk or  coordi-
    19  nator  a  copy  of  a  current  utility bill, bank statement, government

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01050-01-5
        A. 5204                             2

     1  check, paycheck, or other government document that shows  the  name  and
     2  address of the voter;] or
     3    (2)  in  the  case  of an individual who votes by mail, submits in the
     4  outer envelope with the envelope containing the ballot: [(i)] a copy  of
     5  a current and valid government issued photo identification[; or
     6    (ii)  a  copy  of  a  current utility bill, bank statement, government
     7  check, paycheck, or other government document that shows  the  name  and
     8  address of the voter].
     9    A  current  and  valid  government  issued  photo identification shall
    10  include: a New York state driver's license or non-driver  ID;  a  United
    11  States Passport; an identification card issued by a United States educa-
    12  tional  institution;  a  United  States  military identification card; a
    13  government issued medical card or any identification card issued by  the
    14  United States or the state of New York.
    15    (b)  Fail-safe  voting.  [(1)]  An  individual  who desires to vote in
    16  person, but who does not meet the requirements of [subparagraph  one  of
    17  paragraph (a) of] this subdivision[,] may [cast an affidavit ballot, and
    18  notwithstanding this section of law, such affidavit ballot shall be duly
    19  cast and counted, even though such individual does not meet the require-
    20  ments of subparagraph one of paragraph (a) of this subdivision, provided
    21  such  individual  casting  such  ballot  is  an otherwise eligible voter
    22  pursuant to law, provided further that such  ballot  otherwise  complies
    23  with the requirements of law.
    24    (2)  An  individual  who desires to vote by mail but who does not meet
    25  the requirements of subparagraph two of paragraph (a) of  this  subdivi-
    26  sion  may  cast such a ballot by mail and such ballot shall be duly cast
    27  and counted, notwithstanding this section, provided the voter is  deter-
    28  mined  to  be  an  eligible  voter and provided further that such ballot
    29  otherwise complies with the requirements of law.
    30    3. Inapplicability. Subdivisions one and two of this section shall not
    31  apply in the case of a person: (a) who registers to  vote  by  mail  and
    32  submits as part of such registration either:
    33    (1) a copy of a current and valid photo identification; or
    34    (2)  a  copy  of  a  current  utility bill, bank statement, government
    35  check, paycheck, or government document that shows the name and  address
    36  of the voter;
    37    (b)  (1) who registers to vote by mail and submits with such registra-
    38  tion either:
    39    (i) a driver's license or a department of  motor  vehicles  non-driver
    40  photo ID number; or
    41    (ii) at least the last four digits of the individual's social security
    42  number; and
    43    (2) with respect to whom a local board of elections matches the infor-
    44  mation submitted under subparagraph one of this paragraph with an exist-
    45  ing  state  identification  record  bearing the number, name and date of
    46  birth of such voter; or
    47    (c) who is:  (1)  entitled  to  vote  by  absentee  ballot  under  the
    48  Uniformed  and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff-1
    49  et seq.);
    50    (2) provided the right to vote otherwise than in person under  section
    51  3 (b) (2) (B) (ii) of the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Hand-
    52  icapped Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ee-1 (b) (2) (B) (ii)); or
    53    (3)  entitled to vote otherwise than in person under any other federal
    54  law] obtain a non-driver identification from  the  department  of  motor
    55  vehicles if such individual does the following:
        A. 5204                             3

     1    (1)  (i)  If an individual does not possess the documentation accepted
     2  by the commissioner of motor vehicles to receive a non-driver  identifi-
     3  cation, pursuant to section four hundred ninety of the vehicle and traf-
     4  fic law, such individual shall obtain the affidavit provided in subdivi-
     5  sion  three  of this section from a county, city, town or village clerk,
     6  the department of health, the New York city department of mental  health
     7  and hygiene or the department of motor vehicles.
     8    (ii)  When the signed affidavit is received by the county, city, town,
     9  or village where the individual was born or the department of health  or
    10  the  New York city department of mental health and hygiene, if the indi-
    11  vidual was born in the city of New York, no later than the  seventh  day
    12  before the election, it shall be the duty of the clerk or the department
    13  to  provide  the  individual a certified copy or certified transcript of
    14  the individual's record of birth at no cost to the  requesting  individ-
    15  ual, if the clerk or department has access to the individual's record of
    16  birth.
    17    (iii)  No later than the seventh day before the election, the individ-
    18  ual shall present their record of birth and the signed affidavit to  the
    19  department of motor vehicles. Upon receipt of the individual's record of
    20  birth and the signed affidavit, the commissioner of motor vehicles shall
    21  issue  the individual a non-driver identification card at no cost to the
    22  individual, pursuant to section four hundred ninety of the  vehicle  and
    23  traffic law.
    24    (2)  (i)  If  an individual does possess the documentation accepted by
    25  the commissioner of motor vehicles to receive a  non-driver  identifica-
    26  tion  pursuant to section four hundred ninety of the vehicle and traffic
    27  law, such individual shall obtain an affidavit provided  in  subdivision
    28  three  of  this section from a county, city, town, or village clerk, the
    29  department of health, the New York city department of mental health  and
    30  hygiene, or the department of motor vehicles.
    31    (ii) No later than the seventh day before the election, the individual
    32  shall present the signed affidavit and the accepted documentation to the
    33  department  of motor vehicles. Upon receipt of the individual's documen-
    34  tation and the signed affidavit,  the  commissioner  of  motor  vehicles
    35  shall  issue  the individual a non-driver identification card at no cost
    36  to the individual pursuant to section four hundred ninety of the vehicle
    37  and traffic law.
    38    3. Affidavit. (a) The board of elections shall furnish an affidavit to
    39  county, city, town and village clerks, as well as to the  department  of
    40  motor  vehicles, the department of health, and the New York city depart-
    41  ment of health and mental hygiene, which an individual shall sign in ink
    42  and which shall contain the following information and  substantially  be
    43  in the following form:
    44    I,  the  undersigned,  do  hereby  swear that it is seven or more days
    45  before the next election on ............................ and  I  do  not
    46  possess  a  valid  government  issued photo for purposes of voting. I do
    47  hereby require the department of motor vehicles to issue me a non-driver
    48  identification for purposes of voting in the next election on the afore-
    49  mentioned date.

    50  Date: .............................
    51                                        ..................................
    52                                              (Signature of applicant)

    53  On the date above indicated before  me  personally  came  the  applicant
    54  whose  signature  appears on this affidavit, who signed same in my pres-
        A. 5204                             4

     1  ence and who, being by me duly sworn, said that the foregoing  statement
     2  made and subscribed by such applicant, was true.

     3  Date:..................
     4                                          ................................
     5                                            (Signature and official title
     6                                            of officer administering oath)

     7    (b)  Any notary who administered the oath required in paragraph (a) of
     8  this subdivision is not permitted to collect a fee  for  collecting  the
     9  documents required.
    10    §  2. Subdivision 2 of section 8-400 of the election law is amended by
    11  adding a new paragraph (f) to read as follows:
    12    (f) All applications shall be accompanied by a copy of the applicant's
    13  valid government issued photo  identification  as  required  by  section
    14  8-303  of  this  article.  An  individual  may obtain a valid government
    15  issued photo identification for no charge as prescribed in paragraph (b)
    16  of subdivision two of section 8-303 of this article.
    17    § 3. Subdivision a of section 17-169 of the administrative code of the
    18  city of New York is amended by adding a new paragraph  1-a  to  read  as
    19  follows:
    20    1-a.  A  certified copy or certified transcript of the record of birth
    21  shall be issued upon receipt of an affidavit signed by a person,  signed
    22  no  later than the seventh day before an election, pursuant to paragraph
    23  (b) of subdivision two of section 8-303 of the  election  law.  In  such
    24  instance,  such  birth  certificate  shall  be  issued at no cost to the
    25  person.
    26    § 4. Subdivision 1 of section 4174 of the public health law is amended
    27  by adding a new paragraph (b-1) to read as follows:
    28    (b-1) upon receipt of an affidavit signed by an applicant,  signed  no
    29  later than the seventh day before an election, pursuant to paragraph (b)
    30  of subdivision two of section 8-303 of the election law, either a certi-
    31  fied copy or certified transcript of such applicant's birth certificate.
    32  In  such  instance, such birth certificate shall be issued at no cost to
    33  the applicant;
    34    § 5. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 3 of section 490 of the vehicle  and
    35  traffic  law  is  amended  by  adding a new subparagraph (iv) to read as
    36  follows:
    37    (iv) In the case of a person who is issued an identification card  for
    38  purposes  of  voting  pursuant to section 8-303 of the election law, the
    39  commissioner shall issue an identification card without the  payment  of
    40  any  fee,  upon such person submitting a sworn affidavit, as provided in
    41  section 8-303 of the election law and a  certificate  of  birth  or  any
    42  other  form  of  documentation accepted by the commissioner to prove the
    43  person's identity. An identification issued pursuant  to  this  subpara-
    44  graph shall expire four years after the date of issuance.
    45    § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.