Gov. Andrew Cuomo is asking New Yorkers to pick the next license plate design.
The state has launched an online petition for residents to vote on five new designs to replace the state’s old “empire blue & white” plates, most of which are more than a decade old.
Each design option includes a Statue of Liberty motif — save for one that exclusively features the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, which the governor pushed to rename after his father. Four designs prominently display the state’s “excelsior” motto and most are primarily white with blue and gold accents.
“Plate 5” is the most representative of the entire state, depicting images of the city skyline and the Statue of Liberty as well as Niagara Falls.
“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,” Cuomo said in a statement. “As the life span of the old plates comes to an end and we develop new ones that are as easy to read as possible, I encourage all residents to take part in choosing this piece of our state’s history and the State Fair is a perfect place to do that.”
The online poll will run through Sep. 2. In-person voting will be available in Syracuse at the governor’s exhibit in the Great New York State Fair, which starts Wednesday.
The winning design will become the state’s official license plate and will be available to the public beginning in April.
The current blue and gold design was rolled out 10 years ago. The vote is part of the state’s program to continually phase out its older plates every decade to maintain a level of legibility. Drivers must pay $25 to replace their plates when they renew their registration and have the option to pay an additional $20 to keep their current plate number.
