What's happening
This bill requires boards of elections to notify voters by both mail and email of polling place changes and allows voters to provide an email address for official election correspondence.
Why it matters
Improves voter access to timely information. By requiring both mail and email notifications for polling place changes, the bill makes it more likely voters will actually see important updates, helping prevent confusion or missed votes due to last-minute location shifts.
Supports modern communication preferences. Allowing voters to provide an email address for official election correspondence acknowledges that many people rely on digital communication, potentially increasing engagement and responsiveness, especially among younger or more mobile voters.
Could enhance election security and trust. Receiving polling place changes through two separate channels (mail and email) reduces the risk that a voter will miss critical information due to delivery errors, lost mail, or spam filters, thereby improving the reliability and integrity of the voting process.
Requires election boards to update procedures. The bill pushes local boards of elections to maintain and manage updated email lists and digital communication systems, potentially leading to broader modernization of election administration and record-keeping.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Email Voters Polling Place Changes
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
9 Co-sponsors
2 Multi-sponsors
History
- Enacting clause stricken
- Referred 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.
Email Voters About Poll Changes
In Senate Committee · Elections · Sponsor Timothy M. Kennedy
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3979
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 30, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. SEPULVEDA, COLTON, BICHOTTE, CRESPO, MOSLEY, JAFFEE, JEAN-PIERRE, WALKER, ABINANTI, GOTTFRIED -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. HOOPER, HYNDMAN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to email notification of a change in location of a polling place
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 4-104 of the election law is amended to read as follows:
2. If the board of elections, after designating a polling place, and after sending written notice of such polling place to each registered voter, designates an alternative polling place, it must, at least five days before the next election or day for registration, send by mail and email a written notice to each registered voter notifying him or her of the changed location of such polling place. If such notice is not possible the board of elections must provide for an alternative form of notice to be given to voters at the location of the previous polling place.
§ 2. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 5 of section 4-104 of the election law, as amended by chapter 95 of the laws of 1995, is amended to read as follows:
(a) Whenever the number of voters eligible to vote in an election in any election district is less than one hundred, the polling place designated for such district may be the polling place of any other district which could properly be designated as the polling place of the first mentioned district pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, except that the polling place designated for any such district may be the polling place of any other district in such city or town provided that the distance from such first mentioned district to the polling place for such other district is not unreasonable pursuant to rules or regulations
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00890-01-7
A. 3979 2
prescribed by the state board of elections and provided that the total number of persons eligible to vote in such other district in such election, including the persons eligible to vote in such first mentioned districts, is not more than five hundred. The inspectors of election and poll clerks, if any, of such other election district shall also act in all respects as the election officers for such first mentioned districts and no other inspectors shall be appointed to serve in or for such first mentioned districts. A separate poll ledger or computer generated registration list, separate voting machine or ballots and separate canvass of results shall be provided for such first mentioned districts, except that if the candidates and ballot proposals to be voted on by the voters of such districts are the same, the election districts shall be combined and shall constitute a single election district for that election. If the polling place for any election district is moved for any election, pursuant to the provisions of this subdivision, the board of elections shall, not later than ten nor more than fifteen days before such election, mail, by first class mail, to each voter eligible to vote in such election district at such election, a notice setting forth the location of the polling place for such election and specifying that such location is for such election only, and email the same notification to any voter that has supplied the board with a valid email address.
§ 3. Paragraph (k) of subdivision 5 of section 5-210 of the election law is amended by adding a new subparagraph (xiii) to read as follows:
(xiii) A space for the applicant to provide an email address to which official correspondence from the state board of elections may be sent.
§ 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
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.