What's happening
This bill changes New York's primary and general elections from Tuesdays to Saturdays and Sundays following the second Friday in September and November, respectively.
Why it matters
Expanding voting to weekends could significantly increase voter turnout. by making it easier for people with traditional work or school schedules to participate in elections, potentially leading to more representative outcomes.
Moving elections away from weekdays may reduce conflicts with religious observances, work obligations, and childcare needs,. addressing longstanding barriers that disproportionately affect lower-income and hourly workers.
Election administrators and poll workers may face new logistical challenges,. such as increased staffing needs across two days and the potential for higher costs, but the changes could also allow more flexibility in managing crowds and preventing long lines.
Changing long-established voting days could spark both support and resistance among the public,. with some seeing it as a modernization effort that makes voting more accessible, while others may have concerns about tradition or confusion during the transition period.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Move Elections to Weekends
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to elections
- Referred to elections
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1397
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 9, 2017
Introduced by Sen. AVELLA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to the days of voting for the primary and general elections
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 8-100 of the election law, as amended by chapter 17 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
(a) A primary election, to be known as the fall primary, shall be held on the first [Tuesday] Saturday and Sunday after the second [Monday] Friday in September before every general election unless otherwise changed by an act of the legislature. In each year in which electors of president and vice president of the United States are to be elected an additional primary election, to be known as the spring primary, shall be held on the first Tuesday in February unless otherwise changed by an act of the legislature, for the purpose of electing delegates to the national convention, members of state and county committees and assembly district leaders and associate assembly district leaders.
§ 2. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 1 of section 8-100 of the election law, as relettered by chapter 373 of the laws of 1978, is amended to read as follows:
(c) The general election shall be held annually on the [Tuesday] Saturday and Sunday next succeeding the first [Monday] Friday in November.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that section one of this act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as the reversion of such paragraph as provided in section 13 of chapter 87 of the laws of 2015.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00801-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the election law, in relation to the days of voting for the primary and general elections
Purpose or general idea of bill
The purpose of the bill is change the days of voting for the primary and general elections to weekend days rather than Tuesdays.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 of the bill amends paragraphs (a) and (c) of subdivision 1 of section 8-100 of the election law by changing the days of voting in "paragraph (a)" the primary election to the first Saturday and Sunday after the second Friday in September before every general election and in "paragraph (c)" in the general election to the Saturday and Sunday next succeeding the first Friday in November.
Section 2 of the bill sets forth an effective date of the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become law.
Justification
The long-standing tradition of holding federal elections on the first Tuesday of November began with an act of Congress in 1845. Tuesday was selected for its comparative convenience because it was a designated "court day" and the day in which land-owners would typically be in town to conduct business. The tradition was based on the then-agrarian American society.
Although polls are open in New York state on one day for a total of 15 hours (from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.), this one-day voting is very inconvenient for very many people especially those who must go either before or after the work day when there are often very long lines in many polling places. As a result, many voters are deterred from going to vote because of the inconvenience. Evidence of this can be seen in the fact that only 58 percent of eligible voters cast a vote in the 2012 general election.
This includes approximately 93 million eligible voters across the country who did-not vote. In New York, the 2012 voter turnout was even less at approximately 53 percent of eligible voters. Changing the days for voting to weekends will allow many more eligible voters the necessary flexibility to get to their polling place and vote.
Prior legislative history
2015-2016: S.1044-A/No Same As
Fiscal implications
To Be Determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that section one of this act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as the reversion of such paragraph as provided in section 13 of chapter 87 of the laws of 2015.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.