Directs the commissioner of motor vehicles, in cooperation with the New York state board of elections, to ensure that no persons who are not eligible to register to vote within the state are registered to vote by the actions of the department.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A1693
SPONSOR: Wallace
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to preventing
voter registration
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This legislation would amend vehicle and traffic law by adding a new
section 224-b to the duties of the Commissioner of the Department of
Motor Vehicles, requiring the Commissioner to work with the New York
State Board of Elections to ensure no persons who are not eligible to
vote are registered to vote.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends vehicle and traffic law by adding a new section 224-b.
Section 2 provides that the act shall take effect immediately.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Recent reports in Western New York indicated that two individuals who
are non-citizens, and therefore ineligible to had registered with the
Department of Motor Vehicles to do so. This legislation would require
the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles to
work in cooperation with the New York State Board of Elections to ensure
that only U.S. citizens register to vote.
The current voter registration process with the Department of Motor
Vehicles is vulnerable to non-citizens being allowed to register to vote
by simply checking a small box on the driver's license application form.
Whether they do so inadvertently or intentionally, this is a problem.
The Department must create safeguards in the registration process that
prevent non-citizens from registering to vote when they are ineligible.
The integrity of our elections should be protected so that voters can
have confidence that only those who are legally permitted to vote do so.
It is critical that this problem be addressed immediately to safeguard
the electoral process in New York State.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2019-2020: A.10130 - Referred to Election Law
2021-2022: A.827 - Referred to Election Law
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1693
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 17, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WALLACE -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to preventing
voter registration
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new
2 section 224-b to read as follows:
3 § 224-b. Voter registration. The commissioner, in cooperation with the
4 New York state board of elections, shall ensure that no persons who are
5 not eligible to register to vote within the state are registered to vote
6 by the actions of the department.
7 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00881-01-3