What's happening
This bill allows county party committees to designate candidates for county offices by majority vote if permitted by party rules.
Why it matters
Shifts candidate selection power to party insiders. This bill allows county party committees—rather than rank-and-file party members—to directly select candidates for countywide offices, potentially giving more influence to local party leadership and reducing the role of primary elections, if party rules allow.
Weighted voting gives more power to higher-turnout areas. Committee members' votes are weighted based on past gubernatorial election results in their district, which means committee members from areas with more party voters have more influence in the candidate designation process.
Maintains access for grassroots challengers. Even with committee designations, any enrolled party member can still get on the primary ballot by submitting petitions, ensuring that non-establishment candidates retain a pathway to compete.
Codifies timelines and record-keeping. The bill establishes clear deadlines for holding designation meetings and requires committees to promptly report their chosen candidates to election authorities, promoting transparency and procedural consistency.
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County Committees Pick Candidates
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.
County Committees Pick Candidates
In Senate Committee · Elections · Sponsor John A. DeFrancisco
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
704
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. MAGNARELLI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to party nominations for candidates for county office
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The election law is amended by adding a new section 6-109 to read as follows:
§ 6-109. Party nominations; counties. 1. Party designation of a candidate for nomination for any office to be filled by the voters of the entire county shall be made by the county committee, if the party rules of such county so provide.
2. The county committee shall make such designation by majority vote. The person receiving the majority vote shall be the party's designated candidate for nomination. Upon the vote for such designation, each member of the county committee shall be entitled to cast a number of votes which shall be in accordance with the ratio which the number of votes for the party candidate for governor on the line or column of the party at the last preceding general state election in the unit of representation such member represents bears to the total vote cast on such line or column at such election for such candidate for governor in the entire county. The apportionment of such votes as so prescribed shall be determined by the rules of the party.
3. Enrolled members of the party may make other designations by petition for a member of the same party.
4. The meeting of the county committee for the purpose of designating candidates shall be held not earlier than twenty-one days before the first day to sign designating petitions and not later than the first day to sign designating petitions for the primary election.
5. Within four days after such meeting, the county committee shall file with the county board of elections:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00497-01-7
A. 704 2
(a) the names of the persons who have received the designation of the county committee and the offices for which designated; and
(b) the names of the persons selected by the committee to fill vacancies or a certified copy of the party rule empowering such committee to fill vacancies.
6. No person may be designated by a county committee for more than one office pursuant to the provisions of this section.
7. Party designation of a candidate for any office contained within a county shall be designated by the county committee members representing the political subdivision of such office, if the party rules of such county so provide.
8. A candidate for office from a district which crosses county lines shall be designated by the county committee members from such district if the rules of the county committees of each such county shall all so provide.
§ 2. 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.