Submitted Photo New York State Sen. Michael Gianaris, D-Astoria, speaks to students at Lt. Joseph Petrosino School during Career Day.

ALBANY – A downstate state senator wants to make voter registration easier for state residents.

State Sen. Michael Gianaris, D-Astoria, introduced S.88 to help with voter registration through the department of motor vehicles and Medicaid. Gianaris also wants to increase voter rolls across New York state, and to get more eligible voters to vote.

The bill, according to Gianaris, provides for automatic voter registration and pre-registration for people applying for certain DMV documentation, and for people applying for or re-enrolling in Medicaid; and allows individuals to decline automatic registration and pre-registration.

State Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, in opposition to the bill, noted that non-citizens can participate in both programs, and wanted to know how Gianaris would make sure non-citizens are not automatically registered.

“The agencies will be responsible for ensuring that only applicants that have confirmed and proven citizenship information will be transmitted to the board of elections,” Gianaris said.

Borrello asked Gianaris what resources are available to ensure both the DMV and Medicaid can handle the task.

“We’re talking about now tasking them (DMV and Medicaid) with something they have not done before. What resources are we giving them to make sure that they are actually do that (task), and is there any repercussion if they don’t do it,” Borrello said.

Gianaris said the effective date of S.88 is Jan. 1, 2028, so there is time to support an increased budget for the two agencies to make sure there are enough resources to implement the task.

Borrello also noted that the bill is to have enough resources, but no language in the bill ensures that.

Gianaris said the bill provides for rule-making authority, so each agency can set up the proper structure it needs.

Gianaris also noted in the bill that 16- and 17-year-olds can be pre-registered to vote, and the bill will not automatically register teens in that age group.

“Individuals can be pre-registered under current law, and so if someone presents (credentials) at the DMV in that age group, they will be transmitted to the (state) Board of Elections,” Gianaris said.

Gianaris added that the DMV has age and citizen data, so it will be responsible for making sure that the correct information is sent to the state Board of Elections.

Borrello alo questioned whether or not people trying to get a hunting and fishing license or a pistol permit would be automatically registered to vote.

“We are not trying to register everyone,”Gianaris noted. “We are trying to register everybody who is an eligible voter that interacts with these agencies.”

Gianaris added that other agencies used for hunting and fishing licenses, and pistol permits do not readily have available citizenship data as the DMV and Medicaid would have.

Borrello said that registering through the DMV and Medicaid may put the security of elections at risk.

Gianaris said that registering through the DMV and Medicaid make it easier for people to vote, who are registered to vote.

“There are up to two million people in our state, who are eligible voters, who are not yet registered. And so, this is an effort to increase the voter rolls and make more people to vote, who actually are eligible to vote,” Gianaris said.

The bill now will go before the New York State Assembly.