Local lawmakers pushed Sunday for legislation to bring same-day voter registration to New York.

According to Assemblyman Mike Gianaris and Councilman Eric Gioia, New York has one of the lowest rates of voter turnout in the country due to the complicated process of registering to vote.

Gioia insists that the fundamental right to vote should not be stifled by what he calls ?bureaucratic red tape and arbitrary deadlines.? Both lawmakers believe same-day registration would help streamline the voting process and increase voter turnout by at least 10 percent among some hard-to-register demographics, such as younger voters, naturalized citizens and people with a grade school education or less.

Gioia will meet with the chairperson of the Government Operations Committee of the City Council to pass a resolution that supports the legislation.