What's happening
This bill requires boards of elections to provide absentee ballot applications, ballots, and assistance directly to nursing home and senior residence voters.
Why it matters
Directly addresses voting barriers for seniors and people with disabilities. by ensuring absentee ballot applications, ballots, and assistance are proactively provided in nursing homes and senior residences, not just upon request or by mail.
Reduces bureaucratic delays and confusion. by requiring election inspectors to supply and help complete absentee ballot applications on-site, including immediate ballot delivery for registered voters, making the voting process more accessible and efficient.
Ensures equal access across districts. by mandating that if a resident is registered in a different election district, inspectors must quickly obtain the correct ballot from the board of elections, preventing disenfranchisement due to administrative boundaries.
Could increase voter turnout and participation. among a historically underrepresented group by making voting easier, more flexible, and less dependent on a resident’s mobility or familiarity with absentee voting procedures.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Easier Voting in Nursing Homes
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- 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.
Easier Voting for Seniors
In Senate Committee · Elections · Sponsor Leroy Comrie
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5464
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 9, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. WEPRIN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to absentee voting in nursing homes and senior citizen residences
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 5 of section 8-407 of the election law, as added by chapter 296 of the laws of 1988, is amended and a new subdivision 10-a is added to read as follows:
5. The board of elections shall deliver to each board of inspectors all the absentee ballots in the custody of such board of elections which are addressed to residents of the facilities which such board of inspectors is assigned to attend, together with an additional supply of the appropriate absentee ballots for the election district in which the facility is located, absentee ballot envelopes, applications for absentee ballots, one or more portable voting booths of a type approved by the state board of elections and such other supplies as such board of inspectors will require to discharge its duties properly.
10-a. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 8-402 of this title, the board of inspectors shall deliver an application for an absentee ballot to any resident of such facility for whom it does not have an absentee ballot and who requests such an application. The board of inspectors shall assist any such resident who requests assistance to complete such application. Upon receiving a completed application from any resident who is registered to vote at the facility, the board of inspectors shall forthwith deliver an absentee ballot and ballot envelope to such voter in the manner prescribed by this section. With respect to the application of any resident of the facility who is registered to vote from an election district other than the one in which the facility is located, the board of inspectors, if it does not have a supply of the appropriate ballot, shall forthwith obtain the appropriate
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00359-01-7
A. 5464 2
ballot from the board of elections and deliver such ballot and envelope to such voter in the manner prescribed by this section.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth 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.