New York Codes, Rules and Regulations › Title 9 - EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT › Subtitle A - Governor's Office › Chapter I - Executive Orders › Part 4 - Executive Orders (Mario M. Cuomo) › Section 4.136 - Executive order no. 136: establishing a state program for voter registration

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 28, July 10, 2024
WHEREAS, an individual's right to vote is a fundamental
					 right that serves as the bulwark of our democracy;
WHEREAS, many individuals do not exercise their right to
					 vote because they are unaware of registration requirements or do not have
					 access to voter registration forms;
WHEREAS, the State is in a unique position to assist its
					 citizens in registering to vote and thereby assure that they have opportunity
					 to exercise their fundamental right to vote; and
WHEREAS, State employees as public servants are best
					 qualified to assist the public by providing assistance which will enable
					 citizens to fully participate in the democratic process;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mario M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of
					 New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Laws
					 of the State of New York, do hereby order as follows:
I. Procedures for the Program of Voter
				  Registration
The following procedures are hereby established to
					 implement the program of voter registration:
(1) State agencies which have regular contact
				  with the public in their daily administration of business, including the
				  Departments of Labor, Motor Vehicles, Social Services and State, the Workers'
				  Compensation Board, and any other such agency selected by the Governor, shall
				  conduct voter registration projects to assist citizens of the State in
				  registering to vote.
(2) State
				  agencies conducting voter registration projects, except for those agencies
				  conducting special voter registration projects pursuant to section III of this
				  order, shall make postage paid mail registration forms available to persons who
				  are interested in registering to vote, and shall make staff available to assist
				  the public in filling out the mail registration forms.
(3) All voter registration projects shall be
				  conducted in the public areas of State agencies where services are made
				  available to the public.
(4) Each
				  agency involved in a project, after consultation with the Office of Employee
				  Relations, shall make employees available to administer the agency's voter
				  registration project and shall appoint a coordinator for that agency
				  responsible for the implementation and reporting of the voter registration
				  program.
(5) Employees involved in
				  a voter registration project conducted pursuant to this section shall assist
				  persons interested in registering to vote by explaining the mail registration
				  process and the questions contained on the mail registration form in accordance
				  with the guidelines of the State Board of Elections, and shall maintain a
				  position of strict neutrality with respect to a person's party enrollment and
				  shall advise all persons seeking to register that government services are not
				  conditioned on being registered to vote.
(6) Each agency involved in the voter
				  registration project conducted pursuant to this section shall, at the next
				  regularly scheduled printing of its intake form, amend such form to include the
				  following statement:
If you are not registered to vote at your current address
					 you may receive a registration form here today. You may receive government
					 services without being registered to vote. Would you like a registration form?
					 Yes No
In the period between the signing of this order and the
					 amending of an agency's intake form, each agency's intake personnel shall,
					 after appropriate training, routinely inquire of persons seeking services from
					 the agency whether such persons would like to register to vote. If the
					 applicant answers affirmatively either orally or by checking the appropriate
					 section of an agency's amended intake form, the employee shall hand the
					 applicant a voter registration form, offer assistance in filling it out, and
					 direct the applicant to the nearest mailbox.
(7) In coordination with the Director of
				  State Operations and Policy Management and the State Board of Elections, each
				  agency conducting a voter registration project shall develop and prominently
				  display promotional materials informing the public of the existence of voter
				  registration services.