New York accused of violating federal voter registration law by watchdog
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An election integrity watchdog has warned that one of the blue states is failing to enact adequate voting measures and refusing to correct its mistakes ahead of midterm elections in November.
Restoring Integrity and Confidence in Elections (RITE), a nonpartisan organization focused on election security, claims that the New York State Board of Elections (NYSBOE) blocked a request to correct the state’s voter registration form to comply with federal voting law.
The watchdog sent a letter to the NYSBOE in late 2025 outlining various violations that it claimed could undermine the state’s election integrity if left unaddressed.
After the board failed to correct most of the violations, RITE and Tenney are demanding that the board turn over comprehensive records and data to identify additional deficiencies in the state’s voter registration system.
New York governor Kathy Hochul speaks at a press conference at the WIN NYC family shelter on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in New York, USA. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“Your failure to respond is concerning and ignores the need to ensure public confidence that New York maintains accurate voter rolls as required by federal law,” they wrote in a letter to the NYSBOE obtained by Fox News Digital earlier this week.
If the board doesn’t meet the May 2026 deadline, RITE and Tenney say they’re prepared to go to federal court to enforce compliance with federal law.
The watchdog alleges there are two errors in New York State voter registration forms that violate the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
First, New York State did not instruct individuals that they must provide their driver’s license information, if they have one. It also continued to enroll people who failed to produce a driver’s license, the last four digits of a Social Security number, or an affidavit that the applicant had neither, as required by federal law.
Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-Y., accused the New York State Board of Elections of failing to implement adequate safeguards in its voter registration system. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
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These errors, in part, led to millions of New York voters submitting incomplete information during the registration process, making it difficult for the state to maintain accurate voter rolls, according to RITE.
RITE and Tenney also claim the board failed to conduct a requested audit to determine how many incomplete voter registration applications were processed.
A 2022 report from the conservative Public Interest Legal Foundation found that at least 3.1 million registered voters in New York did not provide a driver’s license or Social Security number on their application forms.
“The law is clear: states cannot accept registration forms missing required identification information,” RITE President Justin Riemer said in a statement. he said. New York’s own regulations direct officials to do exactly that. “This blatant violation of an important federal protection significantly erodes the integrity of New York’s voter registration system.”
“We are committed to getting answers about the scope of the problem and ensuring the state resolves it,” Riemer added.
People walk towards the voting area during early voting in the New York City mayoral election in Manhattan on October 27, 2025 in New York City. (Mike Segar/Reuters)
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Tenney, president of the Election Integrity Caucus, said he has been calling for an investigation into the NYSBOE through 2022.
“Transparency and accurate voter lists are essential to maintaining the public’s confidence in our elections,” the New York Republican said in a statement. he said. “The people of New York deserve answers, accountability, and full compliance with HAVA to ensure the integrity of every vote.”
The New York City Board of Elections system has also come under scrutiny recently for not taking adequate precautions.
One of his employees refused to stop a non-citizen reporter from trying to register to vote, according to video footage obtained by Fox News Digital in February.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the New York State Board of Elections for comment.
