Requires the department of correctional service to provide every person completing a sentence of imprisonment for a felony, with written notice of such person's eligibility to register to vote and to vote after such discharge from prison; requires the board of parole to provide every person discharged from parole or conditional discharge, with written notice of such person's eligibility to register to vote and to vote after such discharge.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6853--A
2009-2010 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 13, 2009
___________
Introduced by M. of A. CAMARA, CASTRO, ROBINSON, ESPAILLAT -- read once
and referred to the Committee on Correction -- committee discharged,
bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said
committee
AN ACT to amend the correction law and the executive law, in relation to
requiring persons released from prison or parole to be advised of
their eligibility to vote
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The correction law is amended by adding a new section 75 to
2 read as follows:
3 § 75. Discharge; notification of eligibility to vote. Upon the
4 discharge from a correctional facility of any person who has reached his
5 or her maximum sentence of imprisonment for the conviction of a felony,
6 the department shall notify such person of his or her right to vote,
7 provide such person with a form of application for voter registration
8 together with written information distributed by the board of elections
9 on the importance and the mechanics of voting and shall assist such
10 person in registering to vote in the same manner and to the same extent
11 as the agencies listed in section 5-211 of the election law.
12 § 2. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 259-jj to
13 read as follows:
14 § 259-jj. Voting rights upon discharge. Upon discharge of a person
15 from presumptive release, parole, or conditional release, or upon the
16 expiration of a person's maximum sentence of imprisonment while under
17 the supervision of the division of parole, the division of parole shall
18 notify such person of his or her right to vote, provide such person with
19 a form of application for voter registration together with written
20 information distributed by the board of elections on the importance and
21 the mechanics of voting and shall assist such person in registering to
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10426-02-9
A. 6853--A 2
1 vote in the same manner and to the same extent as the agencies listed in
2 section 5-211 of the election law.
3 § 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
4 have become a law.
