N.Y.C. Admin. Code § L.L. 2004/034: L.L. 2004/034

Enactment date: 7/13/2004

Int. No. 261-A

By Council Members Gioia, Moskowitz, Addabbo, Barron, Brewer, Clarke, Comrie, Foster, Gentile, Gerson, Gonzalez, Jackson, Jennings, Koppell, Liu, Lopez, Monserrate, Reyna, Rivera, Sanders, Seabrook, Stewart, Vann, Weprin, Boyland, Gennaro, James, Katz, McMahon, Quinn, Recchia, Reed, Serrano, Martinez, Palma, Yassky and the Speaker (Council Member Miller)

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring that the New York city department of education provide voter registration forms to students.

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Legislative findings. The Council of the city of New York affirms that voting is a central tenet of democracy. The vitality of the democratic process depends on voter participation in elections. Yet, far too few New Yorkers vote in local, state or national elections, and voter participation has been declining. The Council finds that affirmative steps are necessary to encourage and increase voter participation in all elections.

The Council further finds that this decline and lack of participation is due, in part, to the fact that voters find it difficult to register to vote. Although both city and state laws provide mechanisms for distributing voter registration forms by city and state agencies as part of agency-based voter registration programs, the New York City Department of Education does not participate in such programs. The Council finds that the Department of Education is uniquely positioned in the City to enhance the participation of young people in the democratic process by distributing voter registration forms to potential young voters.

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[Consolidated provisions are not included in this Appendix A]

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§ 5. If any subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or other portion of this local law is, for any reason, declared unconstitutional or invalid, in whole or in part, by any court of competent jurisdiction, such portion shall be deemed severable and such unconstitutionality or invalidity shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of the local law that added this section, which remaining portions shall remain in full force and effect.

§ 6. This local law shall take effect thirty days after its enactment into law.