New York Codes, Rules and Regulations
Title 9 - EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
Subtitle A - Governor's Office
Chapter I - Executive Orders
Part 4 - Executive Orders (Mario M. Cuomo)
Section 4.104 - Executive order no. 104: establishing a task force on encouraging electoral participation

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 39, September 25, 2024

WHEREAS, This year we celebrate the bicentennial of the founding of our Constitution;

WHEREAS, The Constitution assigns a significant role in our representative form of government to the people--that of selecting their public officials through the electoral process;

WHEREAS, Participating in the electoral process is a fundamental right and civic duty that serves as the foundation of our democracy and assures its success as a government of the people, by the people and for the people;

WHEREAS, It is a proper function of government to encourage electoral participation by determining why registered voters fail to vote and why eligible persons fail to register to vote, to eliminate unreasonable obstacles to voting and registration and to create mechanisms that facilitate voting and registration;

WHEREAS, Efforts to encourage New Yorkers to vote and to register have been taken through implementation of the recommendations of the Temporary Commission on Voting Machine Equipment and Voter Registration Systems and through implementing Executive Order No. 43 which facilitated voter registration by mail;

WHEREAS, Despite these efforts, approximately 40 percent of those entitled to register to vote in New York State have failed to register and the low levels of voter turnout experienced in New York State have not improved materially and, accordingly, further efforts are necessary to encourage New Yorkers to register to vote and to vote; and

WHEREAS, The creation of a task force to study citizen participation in the New York State electoral system, examine the factors relating to electoral participation and recommend steps that can be taken to foster greater participation by all citizens in our electoral process will invigorate our democracy and strengthen our governmental system:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mario M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Laws of the State of New York, do hereby order as follows: