New Student Voter Registration Requirements Become Effective July 1, 2024

Amendments to the New York State Election Law that impact school districts and BOCES will become effective as of July 1, 2024. These changes will require updates to board policies and practices for school districts and BOCES.

Prior to these amendments becoming effective, NYS Election Law Section 5-507 required school district boards of education to adopt policies to promote student voter registration and pre-registration. Such policies could include collaboration with county boards of elections to conduct voter registration and pre-registration in high schools.

The amendments to Section 5-507 now require that BOCES, charter schools and non-public schools, in addition to school districts, comply with this section of the Election Law. Policies promoting student voter registration and pre-registration must now specifically include (i) procedures for providing access to voter registration and pre-registration applications during the school year and assistance with filing such applications; and (ii) procedures for informing students of the state requirements for voter registration and pre-registration. Completion and submission of voter registration or pre-registration forms may not be included as a course requirement or graded assignment for students.

If you would like assistance in updating your board policies to comply with these new requirements, contact Lindsay Plantholt at laplantholt@ferrarafirm.com.