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New York Proposal 3, Remove 10-Day-Advance Voter Registration Requirement Amendment (2021)

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New York Proposal 3
Flag of New York.png
Election date
November 2, 2021
Topic
Voting policy measures
Status
Defeatedd Defeated
Type
Constitutional amendment		Origin
State legislature
2021 measures
November 2
New York Proposal 1 Defeated
New York Proposal 2 Approved
New York Proposal 3 Defeated
New York Proposal 4 Defeated
New York Proposal 5 Approved
Polls
Voter guides
Campaign finance
Signature costs

New York Proposal 3, the Remove 10-Day-Advance Voter Registration Requirement Amendment, was on the ballot in New York as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 2, 2021. It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported removing the requirement that persons must register to vote at least ten days before an election, thus authorizing the state legislature to pass a statute for a requirement of less than 10 days, such as same-day voter registration.

A "no" vote opposed this constitutional amendment, thus continuing to require that persons must register to vote at least 10 days before an election.


Election results

New York Proposal 3

Result Votes Percentage
Yes 1,336,327 43.70%

Defeated No

1,721,811 56.30%
Results are officially certified.
Source

Overview

What would the ballot measure have changed about voting in New York?

Proposal 3 would have removed the requirement that persons must register to vote at least ten days before an election. This change would have allowed the New York State Legislature to pass a statute for same-day voter registration.[1] Same-day voter registration enables voters to register and vote at the same time. Same-day registration is sometimes referred to as Election Day registration.

How did New York compare to other states?

See also: Background

In 2021, New York was one of 30 states that does not provide for same-day voter registration. The other 20 states, along with D.C., allowed same-day voter registration.

Why was this proposal on the ballot?

See also: Path to the ballot

Proposal 3, a constitutional amendment, originated in the New York State Legislature. In New York, a constitutional amendment must be approved by the legislature during two successive legislative sessions with an election for state legislators in between to go before voters. The constitutional amendment was passed in 2019 and 2021. In both years, the votes were largely along party lines, with Democrats supporting the same-day voter registration amendment and Republicans opposing it.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot question was as follows:[2]

“

Eliminating Ten-Day-Advance Voter Registration Requirement

The proposed amendment would delete the current requirement in Article II, § 5 that a citizen be registered to vote at least ten days before an election and would allow the Legislature to enact laws permitting a citizen to register to vote less than ten days before the election. Shall the proposed amendment be approved?[3]

”

Ballot summary

The ballot summary was as follows:[2]

“

Section 5 of Article II of the New York Constitution now requires that a citizen be registered to vote at least ten days before an election. The proposed amendment would delete that requirement. If this amendment is adopted, the Legislature will be authorized to enact laws permitting a citizen to register to vote less than ten days before the election.[3]

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article II, New York Constitution

The measure would have amended Section 5 of Article II of the New York Constitution. The following struck-through text would have been deleted:[1]

Laws shall be made for ascertaining, by proper proofs, the citizens who shall be entitled to the right of suffrage hereby established, and for the registration of voters; which registration shall be completed at least ten days before each election. Such registration shall not be required for town and village elections except by express provision of law.[3]

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2021
Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The New York Board of Elections wrote the ballot language for this measure.


The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 15, and the FRE is 36. The word count for the ballot title is 53, and the estimated reading time is 14 seconds. The FKGL for the ballot summary is grade level 12, and the FRE is 44. The word count for the ballot summary is 59, and the estimated reading time is 15 seconds.


Support

Yes on 1, 3, 4 led the campaign in support of Proposal 1, Proposal 3, and Proposal 4.[4]

Supporters

Officials

Political Parties

Organizations

  • Common Cause New York
  • Empire State Indivisible
  • League of Women Voters of New York
  • Make the Road New York
  • New York Civic Engagement Table
  • New York Public Interest Research Group
  • Stand Up America


Arguments

  • State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-12): "With voter turnout at an all time low, allowing same-day registration would increase and encourage greater participation. New York continues to lag behind other states in adopting policies to encourage participation in the electoral process. Removing the 10-day advance registration requirement would remove one barrier from the cumbersome process required to vote in New York."
  • Blair Horner, executive director of New York Public Interest Research Group: "New York’s voting rates are lower than the national average. The state’s antiquated system of voter registration is a relic of a bygone era, perpetuating the re-election of incumbents and limiting voter participation. New York should join other states by allowing Same Day Registration through the passage of an amendment to the State Constitution."


Opposition

Opponents

Officials

Individuals


Arguments

  • State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-24): "These proposals are nothing more than an attempt by Democrats to increase their strangle hold on the state of New York. They undermine the integrity of the election; that’s exactly what [Democrats] want."


Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for New York ballot measures

Ballotpedia identified the Yes on 1, 3, 4 PAC as supporting the constitutional amendment.[5]

Cash Contributions In-Kind Contributions Total Contributions Cash Expenditures Total Expenditures
Support $25,500.00 $107,307.95 $132,807.95 $0.00 $107,307.95
Oppose $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Total $25,500.00 $107,307.95 $132,807.95 $0.00 $107,307.95

Support

The contribution and expenditure totals for the committee supporting the ballot measure were as follows:[5]

Committees in support of Proposal 3
Committee Cash Contributions In-Kind Contributions Total Contributions Cash Expenditures Total Expenditures
Yes on 1, 3, 4 $25,500.00 $107,307.95 $132,807.95 $0.00 $107,307.95
Total $25,500.00 $107,307.95 $132,807.95 $0.00 $107,307.95

Donors

The following were the top donors to the support committee:[5]

Donor Cash Contributions In-Kind Contributions Total Contributions
Make the Road New York $0.00 $65,180.00 $65,180.00
Common Cause NY $0.00 $22,149.82 $22,149.82
Communication Workers of America $20,000.00 $0.00 $20,000.00
Stand Up America $0.00 $15,748.15 $15,748.15
New York Civic Engagement Table $0.00 $3,716.23 $3,716.23

Methodology

To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.

Media editorials

See also: 2021 ballot measure media endorsements

Support

  • The Buffalo News Editorial Board: "New Yorkers are fortunate to live in a state that promotes democratic participation rather than trying to restrict it. There is no democratic downside to a carefully implemented policy. Vote yes."


Opposition

Ballotpedia did not identify media editorial board endorsements in support of a "No" vote on Proposal 3.

Polls

See also: 2021 ballot measure polls
New York Allow for Same-Day Voter Registration Amendment (2021)
Poll Support OpposeUndecided/OtherMargin of errorSample size
Siena Poll (registered voters)
6/22/2021 - 6/29/2021		 52.0%39.0%9.0%+/-4.10809
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Background

Same-day voter registration by state

As of April 2021, the following states had enacted same-day voter registration provisions:[6]

2019 election policy legislative package

The constitutional amendment was part of a seven-bill legislative package to change election policies, which the state legislature passed on January 14 and 15, 2019. The legislative package included the following bills:[7][8]

  • A774/S1100: create a voter pre-registration process for 16- and 17-year olds and require local boards of education to adopt policies to promote student voter registration and pre-registration
  • A775/S1099: require the state Board of Elections to transfer a voter's registration to wherever the voter moves within New York State
  • A776/S1101: restrict campaign contributions from LLCs to $5,000 and require ownership of the LLC to be disclosed in campaign finance reports
  • A779/S1103: combine the federal non-presidential primary and state primary elections to a single date in June
  • A780/S1102: establish a nine-day early-voting period, including two weekends, before general, primary, and special elections

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the New York Constitution

In New York, a constitutional amendment requires a simple majority vote in each chamber of the New York State Legislature in two successive legislative sessions with an election for state legislators in between.

203rd New York State Legislature

The constitutional amendment was introduced into the 203rd New York State Legislature (2019-2020).[9]

On January 14, 2019, the New York State Assembly voted 104 to 42 to pass the amendment. Legislators who voted 'yes' on the amendment included 103 Democrats and one Republicans. Legislators who voted 'no' on the amendment included 41 Republicans and one Democrat.[9]

On January 15, 2019, the New York State Senate voted 44 to 17 to pass the amendment. Democrats, along with four Republicans, supported the proposal. Seventeen Republicans voted 'no' on the proposal.[9]

Vote in the New York State Assembly
January 14, 2019
Requirement: Simple majority of all members in each chamber in two sessions
Number of yes votes required: 76  Approveda
YesNoNot voting
Total104424
Total percent69.33%28.00%2.67%
Democrat10313
Republican1411
Vote in the New York State Senate
January 15, 2019
Requirement: Simple majority of all members in each chamber in two sessions
Number of yes votes required: 32  Approveda
YesNoNot voting
Total44172
Total percent69.84%26.98%3.16%
Democrat4000
Republican4172

204th New York State Legislature

Legislators of the 204th State Legislature (2021-2022) need to approve the constitutional amendment again to refer the issue to the ballot for voter consideration in 2021 or 2022.

On January 12, 2021, the Senate voted 42 to 20 to pass the amendment. Democrats supported the proposal, and Republicans opposed the proposal.[10]

On May 11, the state Assembly voted 104 to 43 to pass the constitutional amendment. Democrats voted 103-1 with three members absent. Republicans voted 1-42.[10]

Vote in the New York State Senate
January 12, 2021
Requirement: Simple majority of all members in each chamber in two sessions
Number of yes votes required: 32  Approveda
YesNoNot voting
Total42201
Total percent66.67%31.74%1.59%
Democrat4201
Republican0200
Vote in the New York State Assembly
May 11, 2021
Requirement: Simple majority of all members in each chamber in two sessions
Number of yes votes required: 76  Approveda
YesNoNot voting
Total104433
Total percent68.67%28.67%2.00%
Democrat10310
Republican1420

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in New York

Click "Show" to learn more about voter registration, identification requirements, and poll times in New York.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 New York State Senate, "Senate Bill 1048," accessed January 14, 2019
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 New York Board of Elections, "2021 Statewide Ballot Proposals," accessed August 29, 2021
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content
  4. ↑ Yes on 1, 3, 4, "Homepage," accessed October 25, 2021
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 New York State Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance," accessed February 9, 2021
  6. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Same Day Voter Registration," June 28, 2019
  7. ↑ New York State Senate, "Protecting New York’s Democracy: Senate Majority Conference Passes Historic Election Reforms," January 14, 2019
  8. ↑ New York State Assembly, "Assembly to Pass Legislation to Reform New York's Electoral Process, Making it Easier for New Yorkers to Vote," January 14, 2019
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 New York State Senate, "Senate Bill S1048," accessed January 14, 2019
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 New York State Senate, "S517," accessed January 13, 2021
  11. ↑ New York State Senate, "Consolidated Laws of New York § 17-8-100," accessed October 8, 2024
  12. ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Know Your Rights," accessed October 8, 2024
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 New York State Board of Elections, “Voter Registration Process,” accessed October 8, 2024
  14. ↑ New York State Board of Elections, “Registration and Voting Deadlines,” accessed October 8, 2024
  15. ↑ New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, “Register to Vote Online - Electronic Voter Registration Application,” accessed April 28, 2023
  16. ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Voter Registration Process," accessed September 25, 2024
  17. ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "New York State Voter Registration Form," accessed November 2, 2024
  18. ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
  19. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Provisional Ballots," accessed October 7, 2019
  20. ↑ New York State Senate, “Consolidated Laws, Chapter 17 Section 5-210,” accessed October 8, 2024
  21. ↑ New York State Senate, “Consolidated Laws, Chapter 17 Section 8-302,” accessed October 8, 2024
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