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Sponsors
History
- Referred to elections
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to election law
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 56–4
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.45
- Print number 2339a
- Amend (t) and recommit to elections
- Referred to elections
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S2339A
Title of bill
An act to amend the election law, in relation to authorizing village, special district, improvement district and library district elections to be conducted on mechanical lever voting machines or paper ballots; and to amend the town law, in relation to authorizing the use of mechanical lever voting machines or paper ballots at fire district elections
Purpose
This bill would allow villages, special districts, improvement districts, library districts and fire districts to use mechanical lever voting machines during their elections or paper ballots.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the Bill adds new section 7-132 to the Election Law to allow villages, special districts, improvement districts, fire districts and library districts conducting an election in which paper ballots are to be counted by hand to use paper ballots in a form described in said section.
Sections 2 through 4 of the Bill amends the election law and town law to authorize villages, special districts, improvement districts, library districts, and fire districts to use mechanical lever voting machines or paper ballots for their elections instead of the new scanner voting machines.
Section 5 of the Bill is the effective date.
Justification
The recent enactment of amendments to New York's Election Law for the purpose of implementing the new scanner voting machines has resulted in numerous unintended consequences. The confusion and expense that the 2010 amendments are causing for villages, special districts, fire districts, improvement districts and library districts seeking to conduct their elections are significant. Chapter 165 of the Laws of 2010 radically amended the provisions of State Law regarding the use of paper ballots. Currently, New York's Election Law only addresses the format of paper ballots that are to be used by scanner voting machines. New York's Election Law does not provide for any other form of paper ballot. Consequently, villages, special districts, fire districts, improvement districts and library districts that are conducting elections by hand count must either use paper ballots that are in a format that complies with state law but that are unsuitable for the hand counting process or use paper ballots in a format that work for hand counted elections, but which do not comply with state law. This legislation will correct this oversight.
In addition, many villages, improvement districts, special districts (fire districts) and library districts continue to have access to the mechanical lever machines that were used in pre-2010 elections. The use of these mechanical lever voting machines would create real savings to villages, improvement districts, special districts and
library districts from the high cost associated with the use of the new scanning machines.
Legislative history
New legislation.
Fiscal implications
None to the state. The villages, special districts, fire districts, improvement districts and library districts will receive significant savings if this Bill is enacted.
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.