State wants you to pick new license plate design
State officials are asking New Yorkers to weigh in on the next official license plate design.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo launched a statewide survey Monday that asks residents to choose their favorite of five proposed designs.
Whichever design receives the most votes will become the state’s official license plate starting in April 2020.
The designs feature New York icons such as the Statue of Liberty, Niagara Falls, Montauk Lighthouse and the new Tappan Zee Bridge, which was recently named for the governor’s father.
The new license plates will replace the Empire blue and white plates, many of which are more than 10 years old. The Department of Motor Vehicles also plans to stop issuing the Empire gold plates once the new ones are available, state officials said.
The gold plates, first unveiled in 2009, were a nostalgic nod to plates used in the 1970s and 1980s. They were part of an attempt to generate revenue to address budget shortfalls.
Voting began Monday on the Governor’s website and runs through Sept. 2. Votes can also be cast in person at the Great New York State Fair, which opens Aug. 21 in Syracuse.
The contest is part of the state’s 10-year license plate replacement program, which aims to ensure all New York license plates are reflective and easy to read.
They will be issued as drivers renew their vehicle registrations, offered to those with license plates that are more than 10 years old. The $25 plate replacement fee will be added to the vehicle owner’s registration renewal, officials said.
Customers will be able to keep their current license plate number for an additional $20 fee.
According to Gov. Cuomo’s office, there are an estimated 3 million vehicles in New York State that have aging plates that can be damaged, oxidized or peeling.
“License plates are a symbol of who we are as a state and New Yorkers should have a voice and a vote in its final design,” Gov. Cuomo said in a statement.
To view the five proposed designs and cast a vote, visit now.ny.gov/page/s/vote-for-the-next-nys-license-plate-design.
