Former prisoners in NY on cusp of gaining permanent right to vote Updated 3:38 PM; Facebook Share People recently released from state prison in New York would automatically regain the right to vote, according to legislation passed today in Albany. The proposed bill, which is now headed for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s desk, would make permanent and automatic a three-year-old practice that restored voting rights to parolees using an approval process, according to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s office. If Cuomo signs the bill, anyone leaving prison would automatically be able to vote again in New York, according to the Let NY Vote Coalition, a group that promotes wider access to voting in the state.