What's happening
This bill allows New York voters to photograph themselves and their ballots in the voting booth and share those images on social media.
Why it matters
Empowers individual voter expression. By allowing voters to photograph themselves and their ballots, the bill supports personal and political self-expression, enabling voters to publicly share their participation in the democratic process.
Modernizes election law to reflect digital communication. The bill specifically updates the law to recognize contemporary forms of communication, including social media and text messaging, acknowledging how people share information in the digital age.
Protects voters' rights at the polling place. The legislation establishes a misdemeanor penalty for anyone who interferes with a voter’s right to take and share such photos, reinforcing the protection of voters' autonomy within the voting booth.
Clarifies and narrows existing ballot secrecy laws. By amending older rules that prohibited showing ballots, the bill draws a clear line—voters can now choose to reveal their own ballots, but cannot be solicited or coerced to do so, thus balancing transparency and voter privacy.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Allow Ballot Selfies at Polls
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.
Allow Ballot Selfies at Polls
In Senate Committee · Elections · Sponsor Brad Hoylman-Sigal
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1038
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 14, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to allowing voters to take photographs of themselves and their ballots while voting
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 8-300 of the election law is amended by adding a new subdivision 4 to read as follows:
4. (a) A voter shall be allowed to take photographs of themselves and their own ballot, or absentee ballot, while in a privacy booth. Such voter shall also be allowed to share and disseminate such photographs on social media. For purposes of this subdivision social media shall include, but shall not be limited to forms of communication through which users participate in online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content. Social media shall also include text messages and the transmission of images via electronic forms of communication.
(b) Any person who interferes with a voter's photograph pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
§ 2. Subdivisions 10 and 11 of section 17-130 of the election law are amended to read as follows:
10. [Shows his] Solicits a voter to show his or her ballot after it is prepared for voting, to any person so as to reveal the contents[, or solicits a voter to show the same]; or,
11. Places any mark upon his ballot, or does any other act in connection with his ballot with the intent that it may be identified as the one voted by him, other than what is allowed pursuant to subdivision four of section 8-300 of this chapter; or,
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02550-01-9
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.