New York S 3409: Enacts the "Modernized voter registration act of New York"

Bill Text

STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3409
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 23, 2017
___________
Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- 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 enacting the "Modern-
ized Voter Registration Act of New York"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Modernized
2 Voter Registration Act of New York".
3 § 2. The election law is amended by adding four new sections 5-200,
4 5-201, 5-205 and 5-207 to read as follows:
5 § 5-200. Automated voter registration. 1. Notwithstanding any other
6 manner of registration required by this article, each person in the
7 state qualified to vote pursuant to section 5-102 of this article, shall
8 be automatically registered to vote as provided in this section,
9 provided that the person consents to voter registration.
10 2. The state board of elections or county board of elections shall
11 register to vote or update the registration record of any person in the
12 state qualified to vote pursuant to section 5-102 of this article who
13 consents to the registration or update and does any of the following:
14 (a) completes an application for a new or renewed driver's license,
15 non-driver identification card, pre-licensing course certificate,
16 learner's permit or certification of supervised driving with the depart-
17 ment of motor vehicles, or notifies such department in writing of a
18 change of his or her name or address;
19 (b) completes an application for services, renewal or recertification
20 for services, or change of address relating to such services from agen-
21 cies designated in section 5-211 of this title;
22 (c) completes an application for services, renewal or recertification
23 for services, or change of address relating to such services from any
24 municipal housing authority as set forth in article thirteen of the
25 public housing law;
EXPLANATION--Matter in (underscored) is new; matter in bracketsitalics
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06193-01-7

S. 3409 2
1 (d) registers for classes at institutions of the state university of
2 New York and the city university of New York;
3 (e) completes a maximum sentence of imprisonment or is discharged from
4 parole;
5 (f) completes an application for unemployment insurance;
6 (g) becomes a member or employee of the division of military and naval
7 affairs; or
8 (h) completes an application with any other state or federal agency
9 designated as a source agency pursuant to paragraph (b) of subdivision
10 three of this section.
11 3. (a) The term "source agency" includes the department of motor vehi-
12 cles, any government agency designated pursuant to section 5-211 of this
13 title, the state university of New York and the city university of New
14 York, all public housing authorities listed in article thirteen of the
15 public housing law, the department of corrections and community super-
16 vision, the department of labor, the division of military and naval
17 affairs and any agency designated by the state board of elections pursu-
18 ant to paragraph (b) of this subdivision.
19 (b) The state board of elections may designate additional state agen-
20 cies to serve as sources for voter registration. In designating an agen-
21 cy under this paragraph, the state board of elections shall consider:
22 (i) the likelihood that source records reflect a large number of
23 eligible citizens;
24 (ii) the extent to which source records reflect eligible citizens who
25 would not otherwise be registered under the act to modernize voter
26 registration;
27 (iii) the accuracy of personal identification data in source records;
28 and
29 (iv) any additional factors designated by the chief election official
30 as reasonably related to accomplishing the purposes of the act to
31 modernize voter registration.
32 4. The state board of elections and the source agencies shall enter
33 into agreements to ensure that for each person described in subdivision
34 two of this section, each source agency electronically transmits to the
35 state or local boards of elections the following information in a format
36 that can be read by the computerized statewide voter registration list:
37 (a) given name or names and surname of surnames;
38 (b) mailing address and residential address;
39 (c) date of birth;
40 (d) citizenship;
41 (e) driver's license or non-driver identification card number, last
42 four digits of the person's social security number, or a space for the
43 person to indicate that her or she doesn't not have any such number;
44 (f) political party enrollment, if any;
45 (g) an indication that the person intends to apply for an absentee
46 ballot, if any; and
47 (h) an image of the person's signature.
48 In the event that any transmissio