NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A187B
SPONSOR: Kavanagh (MS) TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the election law, in relation to
enacting the "voter empowerment act of New York"
PURPOSE:
The Voter Empowerment Act of New York provides for automating voter
registration of eligible consenting citizens at designated government
agencies, permitting the pre-registration of sixteen and seventeen year-
olds; transferring the registrations of New Yorkers who move within the
state, providing for access to voter registration records and the regis-
tration of eligible citizens over the Internet, and moving the deadlines
for voter registration and party enrollment.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Amends the election law by adding a new section that will automate the
voter registration process at government agencies required to offer'
voter registration services. Amends the election law to require boards
of elections to update the registration of any consenting voter who
moves within the state or changes his or her name and submits change of
address or name information to officials at designated government agen-
cies. Amends the election law to require the state board of elections to
make certain registration information available to voters via telephone
and the Internet and to provide for voter registration or registration
updates over the Internet. Amends the election law by moving the dead-
line for voter registration to ten days before an election. Amends the
election law by moving the deadline for an effective party enrollment
change to ten days before any election. Amends the election law by
adding a new section allowing for the correction of registration records
on Election Day by voters who consented to registration at designated
government agencies but were not registered or inaccurately registered.
Amends the election law to increase the privacy of voters and the secu-
rity of voter information in the statewide voter re- gistration list.
Amends the election law by providing for the provision of voter regis-
tration forms to students by colleges, universities and public school
districts. Amends the election law by authorizing the pre-registration
to vote of 16 and 17 year-olds.
JUSTIFICATION:
Modernizing the voter registration system will increase the efficiency
of voter registration for the State and its constituent governmental
units, save hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, increase the
completeness and accuracy of the statewide voter registration list,
prevent erroneous disenfranchisement of eligible citizens, promote
greater participation of eligible voters in elections, and reduce the
incidence of voter registration fraud and voting fraud.
New York's paper-based voter registration system is inefficient, error
prone, and unjustifiably costly. A modem voter registration system that
electronically transmits voter registration information will reduce
costs involved in processing voter registrations and maintaining
complete and accurate voter registration lists. Other states that have
implemented similar programs have experienced significant cost savings.
In eliminating reliance on paper, a modem voter registration system will
reduce the number of duplicate or outdated registration records and
ensure that fewer eligible voters are left off the voter rolls or are
registered at incorrect or former addresses. A modem voter registration
system will also reduce the inaccuracy and disenfranchisement that
occurs because of human error. By reducing the administrative burdens
presently involved in ensuring that a voter's current and accurate
information is included on the statewide voter registration list, a
modem voter registration system promotes greater participation of eligi-
ble voters in elections. Other states that have implemented similar
programs have succeeded in attaining higher voter registration rates at
participating government agencies and more accurate voter registration
lists.
In addition, this bill streamlines the voter registration and party
enrollment deadlines to provide a uniform election deadline ten days
before any election. Under current law, when a registered voter seeks to
change his or her party enrollment to a different party, enroll in a
party (when riot previously enrolled in any party), or to end his/her
enrollment in a party, the effective change of that enrollment is
deferred until the first Tuesday following the general election. As a
result, voters wishing to make such changes of enrollment may have to
wait as long as thirteen months to see their changes of enrollment take
effect. Under this bill, changes of enrollment would take effect ten
(10) days after such changes were applied for. This new timeframe would
coincide with the deadlines for voter registration thus simplifying the
process for both voters and county boards of elections.
Finally, this bill will expand opportunities for young voters to regis-
ter and vote, ensuring that young people become invested in the election
process at an early age. The bill would add a section to the New York
voter registration form allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to
vote. The boards of elections would store this information and use it to
register the applicants when they reach the age of eligibility following
verification of their qualifications and address. Pre-registration is a
key component of voter registration modernization, and ensure that each
eligible voter has every opportunity to register and vote.
Modernizing the voter registration system will increase voter registra-
tion and participation,while also increasing the accuracy of the voter
registration list,thus reducing the opportunities for fraud.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 2013: Senate Bill 619-A (Gianaris)Died in
Senate Elections Committee
2012: Senate Bill 1974-D (Gianaris)- Died in Senate Elections Committee
2013: Assembly Bill 187-A (Kavanagh)- Died in Assembly Elections
Committee
2012: Assembly Bill 1712-D (Kavanagh)- Died in Assembly Elections
Committee
2010: Assembly Bill 5265 (Gianaris)-Died in Assembly Elections Commit-
tee
2009: Assembly Bill 5265 (Gianaris)-Died in Assembly Elections Commit-
tee
2008: Assembly Bill 4346 (Gianaris)-Died in Assembly Elections Commit-
tee
2007: Assembly Bill 4346 (Gianaris)-Died in Assembly Elections Commit-
tee
2006: Assembly Bill. 3480( Gianaris)-Died in Assembly Elections Commit-
tee
2005: Assembly Bill 3480(Gianaris)- Died in Assembly Elections Commit-
tee
2004: Assembly Bill 9346(Gianaris)- Died in Assembly Elections Commit-
tee
FISCAL IMPACT ON THE STATE:
Projected cost savings from a decrease in costs required to administer
voter registration, in an amount to be determined..
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that sections
two, three, four, six, seven, eight, ten, twelve, fourteen, fifteen,
nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, and twenty-three of this act
shall take effect January 1, 2015; provided further that sections five,
nine, eleven, thirteen, sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen of this act
shall take effect January 1, 2016.Effective immediately, any rules,
regulations and agreements necessary to implement the provisions of this
act on its effective date are authorized and directed to be completed on
or before such date.
