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Sponsors
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History
- Print number 10383a
- Amend and recommit to election law
- Referred to election law
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Relates to political party emblems
Senate Floor Calendar · Sponsor Joseph P. Addabbo Jr.
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:A10383A
Title of bill
An act to amend the election law, in relation to party emblems
Purpose
The bill repeals the requirement that the party emblem be affixed to the name of each candidate on the ballot.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill amends Election Law section 7-104, paragraph (a) of subdivision 4, paragraph (c) of subdivi- sion 5, and subdivision 9, to remove the requirement that the party emblem appear with the name of each candidate on the ballot.
Section 2 of the bill sets forth the effective date.
Justification
During the audit process, local boards of elections have noted the presence of the party emblem in the voting box made it much more difficult to accurately perform the audit. The marking area is not very large, and when there is another significant mark (the emblem) contained within that area it is often difficult to discern the voter's mark from the emblem.
With the transition to paper ballots and optical scanner voting machines, there has also been confusion among voters with respect to the appearance of the party emblem by the candidate's name. These emblems are not recognized by most voters, and have caused some voters to think that their ballots have already been marked. The party of the candidate is clearly marked in the voting box where the candidate's name appears, making the use of the party emblem in that box an unnecessary relic. The emblem requirement should be removed to prevent voter and election administration staff confusion.
This legislation was requested by the State Board of Elections in its 2010 Election Law Proposals (SBE 10-09).
Legislative history
New bill in the Assembly; same as S6909 (Addabbo).
Fiscal impact on the state
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.