New York
New York
GradeB
Year2024
TierTop Tier

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Responsive Gov’s Grade TL;DR

After the New York State Legislature passed a historic package of election reforms in 2023, they continued to make additional pro-voter changes this past year. The Legislature expanded ballot cure options, extended the option to vote by mail to certain new first-time voters, and revised the state’s Voting Rights Act. However, it also failed to pass legislation to remove barriers to voter registration by implementing a more secure and efficient automatic voter registration system. Therefore, New York received a B on this year’s progress report.

Looking Back

Where New York Started at the Beginning of 2024

  • Automatic Voter Registration: Partial AVR
  • Online Voter Registration: DMV ID
  • Same-Day Registration: No
  • Restoration of Rights: Prison Disenfranchisement
  • Vote by Mail: Excuse-Only
  • Electronic Registration Information Center Member: No
  • Early Voting Opportunities: Regular Ballot Early Voting
  • ID Requirements: No Document Required

Relying on the Cost of Voting Index for New York as of 2024, we considered the state a top tier state for pre-existing voting policy and compared its 2024 activity against other top tier states. Last year, New York was considered a middle tier state.

How Our Tier Compares

  • COVI (2024): 10th
  • EPI Score (2022): 47th
  • CLC State Scorecard (2022): 7/10
  • MAP Democracy Rating (2024): MEDIUM

2024: This Past Year

Legislative Action

The New York State Legislature, once again, focused on making pro-voter improvements to state election laws, but missed an opportunity to implement an even more effective and secure automatic voter registration system.

  • SB 9837 makes changes to the state’s ballot cure laws to allow voters to cure their ballot by mail, email, in person, or by uploading it to the board of elections online.
  • AB 10357 makes changes to the state’s newly enacted Voting Rights Act to expand protections to additional groups of voters, among other changes.
  • AB 3250A allows anyone that is preregistered to vote and will turn 18 by election day to vote by mail.
  • SB 6130 allows registered voters that have a law license in the state to serve as poll workers anywhere in the state.
  • SB 610 authorizes boards of elections to establish drop boxes for absentee ballot returns based on guidelines to be established by the State Board of Elections. The governor has requested an amendment to ensure this also covers early mail ballots.
  • The 2024 state budget legislation package also provided additional funding for elections, including $7.7 million for grants to local election boards to implement absentee and mail voting and $14.7 million for the purchase of e-pollbooks.
  • Unfortunately, the Legislature failed to take action on SB 8752/AB 9732, which would have incorporated upgrades to create a safer, more efficient, and more effective Secure AVR system.
  • Implementation Action

  • Due to contracting and vendor delays, New York did not meet the January 2023 implementation deadline for AVR at the DMV. These delays also caused the state to miss the January 2024 deadline for non-DMV agencies, which are intended to occur after DMV implementation is complete. Implementation of AVR at the DMV is delayed until early 2025.