STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1054
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 6, 2021
___________
Introduced by Sens. GIANARIS, HOYLMAN, KRUEGER, SERRANO, STAVISKY --
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 designating additional
participating agencies for purposes of agency assisted voter registra-
tion
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The opening paragraph of section 5-211 of the election law,
2 as separately amended by chapters 587 and 672 of the laws of 2019, is
3 amended to read as follows:
4 Each agency designated as a participating agency under the provisions
5 of this section shall implement and administer a program of distribution
6 of voter registration forms pursuant to the provisions of this section.
7 The following offices which provide public assistance and/or provide
8 state funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons
9 with disabilities are hereby designated as voter registration agencies:
10 designated as the state agencies which provide public assistance are the
11 office of children and family services, the office of temporary and
12 disability assistance and the department of health. Also designated as
13 public assistance agencies are all agencies of local government that
14 provide such assistance. Designated as state agencies that provide
15 programs primarily engaged in providing services to people with disabil-
16 ities are the department of labor, office for the aging, division of
17 veterans' services, office of mental health, office of vocational and
18 educational services for individuals with disabilities, commission on
19 quality of care for the mentally disabled, office for people with devel-
20 opmental disabilities, commission for the blind, office of alcoholism
21 and substance abuse services, the office of the advocate for the disa-
22 bled and all offices which administer programs established or funded by
23 such agencies. Additional participating agencies designated as voter
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03338-01-1
S. 1054 2
1 registration offices are the department of state and the district
2 offices of the workers' compensation board. Such agencies shall be
3 required to offer voter registration forms to persons upon initial
4 application for services, renewal or recertification for services and
5 upon change of address relating to such services. Such agencies shall
6 also be responsible for providing assistance to applicants in completing
7 voter registration forms, receiving and transmitting the completed
8 application form from all applicants who wish to have such form trans-
9 mitted to the appropriate board of elections. The state board of
10 elections shall, together with representatives of the United States
11 department of defense, develop and implement procedures for including
12 recruitment offices of the armed forces of the United States as voter
13 registration offices when such offices are so designated by federal law.
14 The state board of elections shall also make request of the United
15 States Citizenship and Immigration Services to include applications for
16 registration by mail with any materials which are given to new citizens.
17 Also designated as participating agencies are all public libraries,
18 which shall be required to offer voter registration forms to persons
19 eighteen years of age or older upon initial application for a library
20 card. Also designated as participating agencies are all local housing
21 authorities, which shall be required to offer voter registration forms
22 to persons upon initial application for services or recertification for
23 services. Also designated as participating agencies are all public high
24 schools, which shall be required to offer voter registration forms to
25 all seniors upon their graduation.
26 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
27 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
28 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
29 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
30 completed on or before such effective date.
