•  Summary 
  •  
  •  Actions 
  •  
  •  Committee Votes 
  •  
  •  Floor Votes 
  •  
  •  Memo 
  •  
  •  Text 
  •  
  •  LFIN 
  •  
  •  Chamber Video/Transcript 

A09596 Summary:

BILL NOA09596
 
SAME ASSAME AS S04496
 
SPONSORHyndman
 
COSPNSR
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Amd §§355 & 6206, Ed L
 
Requires the boards of trustees of SUNY and CUNY to adopt policies requiring institutions thereof to grant course credit to students who serve as election inspectors, poll clerks, or election coordinators.
Go to top    

A09596 Actions:

BILL NOA09596
 
03/26/2024referred to higher education
Go to top

A09596 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A9596
 
SPONSOR: Hyndman
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring SUNY and CUNY institutions to award course credit to students who serve as election inspectors, poll clerks or election coordinators   PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: To incentivize greater civic participation among college students as well as address New York's critical shortage of poll workers by granting SUNY and CUNY students course credit for working at polling sites during elections   SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS: Section one of the bill adds a new subdivision 22 to section 355 of the Education Law to provide that SUNY shall consult with boards of elections to adopt a policy requiring that each SUNY campus grant course credit to students for their service as an election inspector, poll clerk, or election coordinator at a polling site in this state. The policy shall include a verification procedure for students claiming credit. Section two of the bill adds a new subdivision 22 to section 6206 of the Education Law to provide that CUNY shall consult with boards of elections to adopt a policy requiring that each CUNY campus grant course credit to students for their service as an election inspector, poll clerk, or education coordinator at a polling site in this state. The policy shall include a verification procedure for students claiming credit. Section three sets the effective date.   JUSTIFICATION: New York's public university systems, the State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY), have always sought to encourage greater civic participation among their student populations through initiatives such as the CUNY Civic Engagement Internship Program, which provides paid opportunities for students who gather information and analyze data for city government, or the SUNY All-In Democracy Challenge, wherein campuses develop civic plans for candidate forums, local voter registration drives, naturalization ceremonies for new citizens, and a plan to join local boards of organizations. Addi- tionally, SUNY and CUNY have historically played a pivotal role in host- ing local elections, with CUNY offering up nine of their campuses to serve as early voting and Election Day polling places in the 2020 presi- dential election. Since then, the legislature has passed a policy that all colleges with 300 or more students must include a polling place either on site or at an adjacent property as part of the FY23 Enacted Budget, seeking to further involve college students in the democratic process while smoothing election administration. At the same time, the state has experienced a dire shortage in the number of poll workers of late, in part due to the coronavirus pandemic. In February 2022, elections commissioners in Chautauqua County upstate reported a payroll of 400 poll workers a season, 100 short of the number they would need to smoothly run the midterm election. Many Astoria, Queens poll sites in June 2021, meanwhile, sat nearly empty, with less than half of the needed personnel available to help voters navigate the polling booths on Election Day. The sharp decline in poll worker numbers has also exacerbated New York City's language access crisis, making it even more difficult for the local board of elections to acquire the translation services it desperately needs for the estimated 1.8 million New York City residents who are not English proficient. This bill, which grants SUNY and CUNY students course credit for serving as a poll worker, addresses New York State's election worker crisis while helping to foster greater public participation among student bodies. In directing the appropriate boards of elections to coordinate a poll worker program with local universities, this bill seeks to provide a direct pipeline of young and eager talent to desperately understaffed polling stations while helping rear a civic-minded society to the bene- fit of all New Yorkers.   PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 2022: S9058 - Referred to Higher Education   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None   EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediate
Go to top

A09596 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          9596
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                     March 26, 2024
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by M. of A. HYNDMAN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Higher Education
 
        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation  to  requiring  SUNY  and
          CUNY  institutions  to  award  course  credit to students who serve as
          election inspectors, poll clerks or election coordinators
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. Section 355 of the education law is amended by adding a new
     2  subdivision 22 to read as follows:
     3    22.  The  state  university  trustees  shall, in consultation with the
     4  state board of elections and the New York city board of elections, adopt
     5  a policy requiring that each institution of the state university of  New
     6  York  grant  course  credit to each student enrolled in such institution
     7  for such student's service as an  election  inspector,  poll  clerk,  or
     8  election  coordinator  pursuant  to  title  four of article three of the
     9  election law. Such policy shall, at a minimum, require each  institution
    10  to  coordinate  with  appropriate county boards of elections and the New
    11  York city board of elections to establish  verification  procedures  for
    12  students claiming credit under this subdivision, including the provision
    13  by  the appropriate board of elections to the institution of the certif-
    14  icate furnished to the board pursuant to subdivision  three  of  section
    15  3-420  of the election law, and such other proof as the state university
    16  trustees, in consultation with the state board of elections and the  New
    17  York city board of elections, shall deem appropriate.
    18    §  2.  Section  6206  of  the education law is amended by adding a new
    19  subdivision 22 to read as follows:
    20    22. The board of trustees shall, in consultation with the state  board
    21  of  elections  and  the New York city board of elections, adopt a policy
    22  requiring that each institution of the city university of New York grant
    23  course credit to each student enrolled  in  such  institution  for  such
    24  student's  service  as  an  election  inspector, poll clerk, or election
    25  coordinator pursuant to title four of article three of the election law.
    26  Such policy shall, at a minimum, require each institution to  coordinate
    27  with  the  appropriate  county boards of elections and the New York city
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08875-01-3

        A. 9596                             2

     1  board of elections to establish  verification  procedures  for  students
     2  claiming  credit  under this subdivision, including the provision by the
     3  appropriate board of elections to the  institution  of  the  certificate
     4  furnished  to  the  board pursuant to section 3-420 of the election law,
     5  and such other proof as the board of trustees, in consultation with  the
     6  state board of elections and the New York city board of elections, shall
     7  deem appropriate.
     8    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Go to top