What's happening
This bill increases the maximum number of voters allowed in an election district and allows more flexibility in county committee membership.
Why it matters
Larger election districts could mean fewer polling places or more crowded ones, potentially affecting voter convenience and turnout, especially in densely populated or rural areas.
By increasing the maximum number of voters per district (with county board approval), counties may reduce administrative costs, but this could also place greater demands on poll workers and voting infrastructure.
Allowing county committees more flexibility in the number of members per district gives local parties greater autonomy to adapt their organization to changing demographics or political strategies, possibly altering internal party dynamics.
The changes could impact how effectively smaller communities or minority groups are represented within party structures and at the ballot box, influencing local political engagement and power distribution.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Allow Larger Election Districts
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Committed to rules
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.887
- Referred to elections
- Committed to rules
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.679
- Referred to elections
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.
Allow Bigger Election Districts
In Senate Committee · Elections · Sponsor Michael Cusick
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2794
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 17, 2017
Introduced by Sen. AKSHAR -- 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 increasing the number of registrants an election district may contain with the approval of the county board of elections; authorizes increase of county committee
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph a of subdivision 3 of section 4-100 of the election law, as amended by chapter 659 of the laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows:
a. Each election district shall be in compact form and may not be partly within and partly without a ward, town, city, a village which has five thousand or more inhabitants and is wholly within one town, or a county legislative, assembly, senatorial or congressional district. Except as provided in paragraph b of this subdivision, election district boundaries, other than those boundaries which are coterminous with the boundaries of those political subdivisions mentioned in this paragraph, must be streets, rivers, railroad lines or other permanent characteristics of the landscape which are clearly visible to any person without the need to use any technical or mechanical device. An election district shall contain not more than nine hundred fifty registrants (excluding registrants in inactive status) or, with the approval of the county board of elections, not more than [eleven hundred fifty] two thousand registrants (excluding registrants in inactive status), but any election district may be divided for the convenience of the voters.
§ 2. Subdivision 1 of section 2-104 of the election law, as amended by chapter 659 of the laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows:
1. The county committee of each party shall be constituted by the election in each election district within such county of at least two members and of such additional members[, not in excess of two,] as the rules of the county committee of the party within the county or the
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04255-01-7
S. 2794 2
statement filed pursuant hereto may provide for such district, proportional to the party vote in the district for governor at the last preceding gubernatorial election, or in case the boundaries of such district have been changed or a new district has been created since the last preceding gubernatorial election, proportional to the party vote cast for member of assembly or in the event there was no election for member of assembly, then proportional to the number of enrolled voters of such party in such district on the list of enrolled voters last published by the board of elections, excluding voters in inactive status. In a county in which no additional members are provided for by the rules of the county committee or the statement filed pursuant hereto the voting power of each member shall be in proportion to such party vote or, if the election district which such member represents was created or changed since the last election for member of assembly, proportional to such party enrollment. In a county in which additional members are so provided for, on the basis of the party vote or enrollment in election districts within such county, each member shall have one vote. Each member of a county committee shall be an enrolled voter of the party residing in the county and the assembly district from which or in the assembly district containing the election district in which such member is elected except that a member of a county committee who, as a result of an alteration of assembly district lines, no longer resides within such assembly district may continue to serve for the balance of the term to which he was elected.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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 increasing the number of registrants an election district may contain with the approval of the county board of elections; authorizes increase of county committee
Purpose
This bill would raise the election district registrant enrollment from a maximum of 1,150 registrants to 3,000.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill would amend Election Law § 4-100(3) (a) revises the definition of an "election districts' to expand its maximum registrants from eleven hundred fifty to three thousand.
Section 2 of the bill provides for an immediate effective date.
Justification
Upon enactment this legislation would raise the limit of voters allowed in every election district from 1,150 voters to 3,000. The current election district registrant enrollment limits were prescribed based on the fact that the old lever voter machines were not capable of handling more than 1,000 votes per election; thus a strict limit of 1,150 voters per district was necessary. The new optical scanners will read and hold up to approximately 4,000 ballots/voters per machine. Therefore, this change in the law aims to serve as mandate relief to municipalities by allowing them to consolidate districts and reduce costs in many areas, including: hiring fewer election inspectors, fewer ballots to order; and requiring less time testing ballots.
Legislative history
S.7072A - Died in Rules / A.4189A - Passed S.4560 - Died in Rules S.3285 - Died in Rules/ A.6856 - Advanced to Third Reading.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This bill would take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.