2023 New York Laws › ELN - Election › Article 5 - Registration and Enrollment of Voters › Title 2 - Registration and Enrollment › 5-212 - Motor Vehicle Registration.

§  5-212.  Motor  vehicle  registration.  1.  In addition to any other
method of voter registration provided for in this article, any qualified
person may apply for registration and  enrollment  by  application  made
simultaneously  and  integrated  with an application for a motor vehicle
driver's license, a driver's license renewal or an  identification  card
if  such  a  card  is  issued by the department of motor vehicles in its
normal course of business.
2. The department of motor vehicles, with the approval  of  the  state
board  of  elections,  shall  design  a  form  or  forms which shall, in
addition to eliciting  such  information  as  may  be  required  by  the
department  of motor vehicles for a driver's license, a driver's license
renewal, a change of address notification  or  an  identification  card,
serve   as   an  application  for  registration  and  enrollment,  or  a
registration necessitated by a change of residence.  The  cost  of  such
forms shall be borne by the department of motor vehicles.
3. The voter registration portion of such forms:
(a)  shall not require any information that duplicates the information
required on the application for the driver  license  portion  and  shall
require  only  such  additional  information,  including the applicant's
signature, as will enable election officials to assess  the  applicant's
eligibility  to  register to vote, prevent duplicate registration and to
administer voter registration and other parts of the election process.
(b) shall include a statement  of  the  eligibility  requirements  for
voter  registration  and  shall  require  the applicant to attest by his
signature that he meets those requirements under penalty of perjury.
(c) shall inform the applicant, in print identical to that used in the
attestation section of the following:
(i) voter eligibility requirements;
(ii) penalties for submission of false registration application;
(iii)  that  the  office  where  applicant  registers   shall   remain
confidential  and  the  information  be used only for voter registration
purposes;
(iv) if the applicant declines  to  register,  his  declination  shall
remain confidential and be used only for voter registration purposes;
4. Included on the form or on a separate form shall be:
(a)  the  question,  "If you are not registered to vote where you live
now, would you like to apply to register here today?"
(b) boxes for the applicant to check to indicate whether the applicant
would like to register or decline to register to vote.
(c) the statement in prominent type, "IF YOU DO NOT CHECK EITHER  BOX,
YOU  WILL  BE CONSIDERED TO HAVE DECIDED NOT TO REGISTER TO VOTE AT THIS
TIME."
(d) the statement, "If you would like help in filling  out  the  voter
registration application form, we will help you. The decision whether to
seek  or  accept help is yours. You may fill out the application form in
private."
(e) the statement, "If you believe that someone  has  interfered  with
your  right  to  register  or decline to register to vote, your right to
privacy in deciding whether to register or in applying  to  register  to
vote,  or  your  right  to  choose  your  own  political  party or other
political preference, you may file a complaint with the state  board  of
elections (address and toll free telephone number)."
(f)  a  toll  free  number at the state board of elections that can be
called for answers to registration questions.
5. The form containing the declination to register to  vote  shall  be
retained by the department of motor vehicles for the same period of time
as  such department retains the accompanying application for services or

for such shorter period of time as may be approved by the state board of
elections.
6. The department of motor vehicles shall transmit that portion of the
form  which  constitutes  the  completed application for registration or
change of address form to the appropriate board of elections  not  later
than  ten days after receipt except that all such completed applications
and forms received by the department after the twentieth day prior to an
election  and  by  the  twelfth  day  before  such  election  shall   be
transmitted  in  such manner and at such time as to assure their receipt
by such board of elections as soon as practicable and not later than the
tenth day before such election. All transmittals shall include  original
signatures.
7.  Completed  application  forms  received by the department of motor
vehicles not later than the twelfth day before the next ensuing primary,
general or special election and transmitted by such  department  to  the
appropriate  board of elections so that they are received not later than
the tenth day before such election shall entitle the applicant  to  vote
in  such  election  provided  the board determines that the applicant is
otherwise qualified.
8.  Disclosure  of  voter  registration   information,   including   a
declination to register, by the department of motor vehicles, its agents
or  employees,  for  other  than  voter  registration purposes, shall be
deemed an unwarranted invasion  of  personal  privacy  pursuant  to  the
provisions  of  subdivision  two  of  section  eighty-nine of the public
officers law and shall constitute a violation of this chapter.
9. Application forms shall be processed by the board of  elections  in
the  manner  prescribed  by  section  5-210  of  this  title  or, if the
applicant is already registered to vote from  another  address  in  such
county or city, in the manner prescribed by section 5-208 of this title.
The  board shall send the appropriate notice of approval or rejection as
required by either subdivision nine of such section 5-210 or subdivision
five of such section 5-208.
10. Strict neutrality with respect  to  a  person's  party  enrollment
shall be maintained and all persons seeking voter registration forms and
information   shall   be   advised  that  government  services  are  not
conditioned on being registered to vote.
11. No statement shall be made nor any action taken to discourage  the
applicant from registering to vote.
12.  The department of motor vehicles shall provide to each person who
chooses to register to vote the same level  of  assistance  provided  to
persons  in  connection  with  the completion of the agency's own forms,
unless such person refuses such assistance.
13. The state board shall adopt such rules and regulations as  may  be
necessary to carry out the requirements of this section. The board shall
also  adopt  such  rules  and regulations as may be necessary to require
county boards and the department of motor vehicles to provide the  state
board  with  such  information  and data as the board deems necessary to
assess compliance with this section and to compile  such  statistics  as
may be required by the federal elections commission.
14.  The  state  board shall develop and distribute public information
and promotional materials relating to the purposes and implementation of
this program.
15. The state board shall prepare and distribute to the department  of
motor  vehicles  written  instructions  as  to the implementation of the
program and shall be responsible for establishing training programs  for
employees of the department of motor vehicles involved in such program.
16.  The  commissioner  of motor vehicles shall take all actions which
are necessary and proper for the implementation  of  this  section.  The

commissioner  of  motor  vehicles  shall designate one person within the
agency as the agency voter registration coordinator who will, under  the
direction  of the state board of elections, be responsible for the voter
registration program in such agency.