§ 5-614 — Statewide voter registration list

§ 5-614. Statewide voter registration list. 1. There shall be one\nofficial record of the registration of each voter. Such record shall be\nmaintained in an interactive, statewide, computerized, voter\nregistration list. Such statewide voter registration list shall\nconstitute the official list of voters for the state of New York. Such\nlist shall be in the custody of the state board of elections and\nadministered and maintained by the state board of elections, subject to\nrules and regulations promulgated by the state board of elections in\naccordance with subdivision four of section 3-100 of this chapter. Local\nboards of elections shall comply with all the rules and regulations\npromulgated by the state board of elections pursuant to this section.\n 2. The official statewide voter registration list shall be created by\ncombining the existing voter registration list maintained by each local\nboard of elections into a single integrated list. The state board of\nelections, pursuant to subdivision four of section 3-100 of this\nchapter, shall promulgate rules and regulations, which shall be binding\nupon each local board of elections, concerning the combining of each\nexisting voter registration list into a single integrated list. Such\nrules and regulations shall be designed, to the maximum extent\npracticable, to allow each local board of elections to continue to use\nits existing computer infrastructure, computer software and database\napplications to access data from and transmit data to the statewide\nvoter registration list. To create such list, each local board of\nelections shall transmit to the state board of elections a certified\ncopy of the voter registration records of such board in an electronic\nformat prescribed by the state board of elections. The state board of\nelections shall on an ongoing basis compile such records from the local\nboards of elections into a statewide voter registration list. The\ncomputer infrastructure of such list shall be maintained and\nadministered by the state board of elections and such board shall, in\naccordance with subdivision four of section 3-100 of this chapter,\npromulgate uniform rules and regulations for the maintenance of voter\nregistration records not inconsistent with this chapter. The state board\nof elections shall make accessible to each local board of elections the\nstatewide voter registration list. Such list shall be maintained in a\ncomputerized form which permits different user interfaces.\n 3. The statewide voter registration list shall:\n a. serve as the single system for storing and managing the official\nlist of registered voters throughout the state which local boards of\nelections shall use for creating the computer generated registration\nlist prepared for each election for each election district as provided\nby this chapter;\n b. contain the name and registration information of every legally\nregistered voter in the state, as provided by section 5-500 of this\narticle and such other information as may be deemed necessary by the\nstate board of elections in accordance with subdivision four of section\n3-100 of this chapter;\n c. contain a unique identifier for each legally registered voter in\nthe state;\n d. be coordinated and referenced with other state and federal\nidentification records;\n e. provide timely electronic access to the information contained\ntherein to election officials;\n f. provide that all voter registration information obtained by a local\nboard of elections shall be electronically entered into such list on an\nexpedited basis at the time the information is provided to such board;\n g. ensure that the state board of elections provides such support as\nmay be required so that local boards of elections are able to enter the\ninformation described in paragraph f of this subdivision;\n h. serve as the official voter registration list for the conduct of\nall elections in the state which are administered by local boards of\nelections; and\n i. allow local boards of elections, using their own systems, to\nperform essential election functions including but not limited to\nprocessing of early mail voters, absentee voters, administration of poll\nworkers and polling places, assignment of election jurisdictions based\non residence and address and other functions necessary for the conduct\nof elections using voter registration information from the official\nstatewide voter registration list.\n 4. Adding, changing, canceling or removing voter registration records\nshall be conducted only by local boards of elections as provided by this\nchapter.\n 5. For purposes of removing names of ineligible voters from the list\nof eligible voters, the state board of elections shall obtain and\ntransmit to local boards of elections (a) the list of persons who have\ndied maintained by the New York city department of health and the state\ndepartment of health, and (b) the list of persons subject to forfeiture\nof the right to vote pursuant to section 5-106 of this article\nmaintained by the office of court administration or by a court having\nmade such determination.\n 6. Each local board of elections shall, within twenty-five days after\nreceiving such list of decedents or list of persons subject to\nforfeiture of the right to vote pursuant to section 5-106 of this\narticle, use such lists to identify and remove decedents and persons\nsubject to forfeiture of the right to vote pursuant to section 5-106 of\nthis article from the list of eligible voters.\n 7. The local board of elections shall electronically file with the\nstate board of elections a cancellation and removal report indicating\nall cancellations and removal actions taken by the local board of\nelections from the list of eligible voters. Such report shall be filed\nin a format and at such intervals as directed by the state board of\nelections.\n 8. If the information received by the board of elections through the\nstatewide voter registration list indicates that a voter is currently\nregistered to vote more than once, the local board of elections\ncontaining the registration record of the earlier dated registration\nrecord shall send such voter the confirmation notice prescribed by\nsection 5-712 of this article and place such voter in inactive status\npursuant to section 5-213 of this article.\n 9. The state board of elections shall, in accordance with subdivision\nfour of section 3-100 of this chapter, promulgate rules and regulations\nto ensure compliance with the adding, changing, canceling or removing of\nvoters from the single, official, statewide voter registration list.\n 10. Any person may bring a challenge pursuant to this chapter against\nany board of elections to compel the removal of an ineligible voter from\nthe list of eligible voters or to compel the correction of a\nregistration record in the case of a voter wrongfully canceled or\nremoved from the statewide, single, official voter registration list.\n 11. The state board of elections shall establish a statewide voter\nhotline using information available through the statewide voter\nregistration list for voters to obtain information regarding their voter\nregistration.\n 12. a. The state board of elections, in consultation with local boards\nof elections and in accordance with subdivision four of section 3-100 of\nthis chapter, shall establish minimum standards for statewide voter\nregistration list maintenance activities and schedules for such\nactivities by regulation.\n b. The list maintenance performed pursuant to the minimum standards\nrequired by paragraph a of this subdivision shall be conducted in a\nmanner consistent with this chapter to ensure that:\n (1) the name of each registered voter appears in the statewide voter\nregistration list;\n (2) only names of persons who are not registered or who are not\neligible to vote are removed from such list; and\n (3) the prior registrations of duplicate names are removed from such\nlist.\n 13. The state board of elections shall provide adequate technological\nsecurity measures to prevent the unauthorized access to or disruption of\nthe statewide voter registration list established pursuant to this\nsection and any voter registration records electronically transmitted\nbetween local boards of elections and the state board of elections as\nprovided for in subdivision two of this section. A copy of such list\nshall be stored at least twenty-five miles away from the place where the\noriginal is housed.\n 14. The statewide voter registration list system shall ensure that\nvoter registration records in the state are accurate and are updated\nregularly, including a system of file maintenance that makes a\nreasonable effort to remove registrants who are ineligible to vote from\nthe official list of eligible voters, as provided for by this chapter.\n