Int. No. 493-A
By Council Member Kallos, Cabrera, Constantinides, Gentile, Johnson, Levine, Palma, Richards, Rose, Arroyo, Van Bramer, Rodriguez, Lander, Levin, Dromm, Eugene and Greenfield
A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to expanding agency based voter registration to additional city agencies.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. The opening paragraph of section 1057-a of the New York city charter, as amended by local law number 52 for the year 2003, is amended to read as follows:
Each agency designated as a participating agency under the provisions of this section shall implement and administer a program of distribution of voter registration forms pursuant to the provisions of this section. The following offices are hereby designated as participating voter registration agencies: The administration for children's services, the business integrity commission, the city clerk, the civilian complaint review board, the commission on human rights, community boards, the department of small business services, the department for the aging, the department of citywide administrative services, the department of city planning, the department of consumer affairs, the department of correction, the department of cultural affairs, the department of environmental protection, the department of finance, the department of health and mental hygiene, the department of homeless services, the department of housing preservation and development, the department of parks and recreation, the department of probation, the department of records and information services, the taxi and limousine commission, the department of transportation, [and] the department of youth and community development, the fire department, and the human resources administration. Participating agencies shall include a mandate in all new or renewed agreements with those subcontractors having regular contact with the public in the daily administration of their business to follow the guidelines of this section. Such participating agencies shall be required to offer voter registration forms to all persons together with written applications for services, renewal or recertification for services and change of address relating to such services, in the same language as such application, renewal, recertification or change of address form where practicable; provided however that this section shall not apply to services that must be provided to prevent actual or potential danger to the life, health, or safety of any individual or of the public. Such agencies [may] shall provide assistance to applicants in completing voter registration forms, and in cases in which such an agency would provide assistance with its own form, such agency shall provide the same degree of assistance with regard to the voter registration form as is provided with regard to the completion of its own form, if so requested. Such agencies [may] shall also[, in their discretion,] receive and transmit the completed application form from any applicants who [wish] request to have such form transmitted to the board of elections for the city of New York.
§ 2. Subdivision 2 of section 1057-a of the New York city charter, as added by local law number 29 for the year 2000, such section as renumbered by vote of the electors of the city of New York at a general election held on November 6, 2001, is amended to read as follows:
2. Participating agencies shall provide and distribute voter registration forms to all persons together with written applications for services, renewal or recertification for services and change of address relating to such services, in the same language as such application, renewal, recertification or change of address form where practicable; provided however that this section shall not apply to services that must be provided to prevent actual or potential danger to life, health or safety of any individual or of the public. Participating agency staff [may] shall provide assistance in completing these distributed voter registration forms, and in cases in which such an agency would provide assistance with its own form, such agency shall provide the same degree of assistance with regard to the voter registration form as is provided with regard to the completion of its own form, if so requested. Participating agencies shall also include a voter registration form with any agency communication sent through the United States mail for the purpose of supplying clients with application, renewal or recertification for services and change of address relating to such services materials. Participating agencies shall also incorporate an opportunity to request a voter registration application into any application for services, renewal or recertification for services and change of address relating to such services provided on computer terminals, the World Wide Web or the Internet. Any person indicating that they wish to be sent a voter registration form, via computer terminals, the World Wide Web or the Internet shall be sent such a form by the participating agency, or directed to a bank on that system where such a form may be downloaded.
§ 3. Subdivision 3 of section 1057-a of the New York city charter, as added by local law number 29 for the year 2000, such section as renumbered by vote of the electors of the city of New York at a general election held on November 6, 2001, is amended to read as follows:
3. Participating agencies shall also:
a. by December 1, 2015, or at the [earliest practicable or] next regularly scheduled printing of their forms, whichever is earlier, physically incorporate the voter registration forms with their own application forms in a manner that permits the voter registration portion to be detached therefrom. Until such time when the agency amends its form, each agency should affix or include a postage paid board of elections for the city of New York voter registration form to or with its application, renewal, recertification and change of address forms;
b. use voter registration forms that contain a code assigned by the board of elections of the city of New York [coded voter registration forms] which designate such forms as originating from participating agencies[:]; and
c. transmit any completed forms collected [in their discretion] by such agency to the board of elections of the city of New York within two weeks of the receipt of such completed forms at the participating agency. If a completed form is [accepted] collected within five days before the last day for registration to vote in a citywide election, such completed form shall be transmitted by the participating agency to the board of elections of the city of New York not later than five days after the date of acceptance, provided, however, that notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any agency subject to the requirements of section 5-211 of the election law shall be governed only by the timeframes for transmission of such forms to the board of elections set forth in such section.
§ 4. This local law shall take effect 60 days after its enactment into law, provided that the provisions of section 1057-a of the New York city charter, as amended by this local law, shall take effect with respect to the participating agencies that are newly designated by the opening paragraph of section 1057-a of the New York city charter, as amended by section one of this local law, one year after the enactment of this local law. In addition, the provisions of section 1057-a of the New York city charter, as amended by this local law, that impose new obligations in relation to contractors or subcontractors of participating agencies shall only apply with respect to contracts entered into or renewed after the effective date of this local law.
dss
LS 2218/2014
11/17/14