What's happening
This bill raises the minimum number of votes required for an independent political party to gain official recognition in New York State from 50,000 to 100,000.
Why it matters
Makes it harder for new or smaller independent parties to gain or maintain official status. , potentially reducing the diversity of political voices and choices available to voters in New York.
May reinforce the dominance of major parties. (Democratic and Republican), since fewer independent parties will meet the higher threshold and thus have automatic ballot access and other legal privileges.
Could impact access to campaign funding and participation in debates. , as officially recognized parties often receive benefits like easier ballot placement, public funding, and media coverage.
May discourage grassroots political movements. by raising the organizational and financial barriers for emerging parties to reach 100,000 votes, possibly diminishing political innovation and representation of minority views.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Raise Party Recognition Threshold
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to election law
- Referred to election law
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1048
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 10, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. PRETLOW -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to increasing the number of votes an independent political party needs to become a recognized political party in New York state
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 1-104 of the election law is amended to read as follows:
3. The term "party" means any political organization which at the last preceding election for governor polled at least [fifty] one hundred thousand votes for its candidate for governor.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to elections occurring on and after November 1, 2018.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04228-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.