STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5639
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 26, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. BAILEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to requiring any student
graduating from a high school in New York state be provided with a
voter registration form
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The election law is amended by adding a new section 5-232
2 to read as follows:
3 § 5-232. Graduating high school students. 1. In addition to any other
4 method of voter registration provided for in this article, every quali-
5 fied person shall be provided with an application for registration and
6 enrollment upon graduation from any public or private high school within
7 the state. Such application shall be in the same form as prescribed by
8 section 5-210 of this title.
9 2. A school district in which qualified persons are graduating shall
10 transmit any completed application for registration form to the appro-
11 priate board of elections not later than ten days after receipt except
12 that all such completed applications and forms received by the school
13 districts or department of education after the twentieth day prior to an
14 election and by the twelfth day before such election shall be transmit-
15 ted in such manner and at such time as to assure their receipt by such
16 board of elections as soon as practicable and not later than the tenth
17 day before such election. All transmittals shall include original signa-
18 tures.
19 3. Completed application forms received by a school district not later
20 than the twelfth day before the next ensuing primary, general or special
21 election and transmitted by such school district to the appropriate
22 board of elections so that they are received not later than the tenth
23 day before such election shall entitle the applicant to vote in such
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09372-01-5
S. 5639 2
1 election provided the board determines that the applicant is otherwise
2 qualified.
3 4. Disclosure of voter registration information, including a declina-
4 tion to register, by a school district, its agents or employees, for
5 purposes other than voter registration shall be deemed an unwarranted
6 invasion of personal privacy pursuant to the provisions of subdivision
7 two of section eighty-nine of the public officers law and shall consti-
8 tute a violation of this chapter.
9 5. Application forms shall be processed by the board of elections in
10 the manner prescribed by section 5-210 of this title. The board shall
11 send the appropriate notice of approval or rejection as required by
12 subdivision nine of such section 5-210.
13 6. Strict neutrality with respect to a person's party enrollment shall
14 be maintained and all persons seeking voter registration forms and
15 information shall be advised that government services are not condi-
16 tioned on being registered to vote.
17 7. No statement shall be made nor any action taken to discourage the
18 applicant from registering to vote.
19 8. The state board of elections shall adopt such rules and regulations
20 as may be necessary to carry out the requirements of this section. The
21 board shall also adopt such rules and regulations as may be necessary to
22 require county boards and the department of education to provide the
23 state board of elections with such information and data as the board
24 deems necessary to assess compliance with this section and to compile
25 such statistics as may be required by the federal elections commission.
26 9. The state board of elections shall develop and distribute public
27 information and promotional materials relating to the purposes and
28 implementation of this program.
29 10. The state board of elections shall prepare and distribute to the
30 department of education written instructions as to the implementation of
31 the program and shall be responsible for establishing training programs
32 for employees of the department of education and each school district
33 involved in such program.
34 11. The commissioner of education shall take all actions which are
35 necessary and proper for the implementation of this section. The commis-
36 sioner of education shall designate one person within the department as
37 the department voter registration coordinator who will, under the direc-
38 tion of the state board of elections, be responsible for the voter
39 registration program in such department.
40 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
41 the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the
42 addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
43 for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized
44 to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
