What's happening
This bill requires fire district commissioner elections to be held on the same day and at the same polling place as school board member elections.
Why it matters
Aligning fire district and school board elections could boost voter turnout and engagement. by making it easier for residents to participate in both important local elections on the same day and at the same location.
Standardizing election administration through the local board of elections introduces professional oversight. to the fire district commissioner elections, likely improving the consistency and integrity of the process compared to the previous, more decentralized approach.
Shifting costs and administrative responsibilities to fire districts for their portion of the election. may have budgetary impacts on those fire districts, as they will now be responsible for the costs of ballots and any additional poll workers needed specifically for their elections.
Replacing separate rules for fire district elections with school board election procedures simplifies the voting experience and reduces confusion for voters. but also means fire districts lose some autonomy over how their elections are conducted, as procedures will be set by the county board of elections.
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Who cares
Fire district voters
The bill would move annual fire district elections to the same date and polling place as school board elections, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Fire district commissioners and secretaries
Districts would bear ballot and additional poll-worker costs, while secretaries’ ballot preparation would require board of elections approval.
County and local boards of elections
County boards would determine how closely fire district voting procedures follow school board election procedures, and local boards would appoint poll workers and prescribe their duties and pay.
Fire district election workers
The bill would replace commissioner-appointed election chairs, inspectors and ballot clerks and their specified pay limits with poll workers appointed by local boards of elections.
Headline styles
Combine Fire, School Elections
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to local governments
- Referred to local governments
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1950
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 18, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. ABINANTI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Local Governments
AN ACT to amend the town law, in relation to holding the election of fire district commissioners on the same day as the election of school board members
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 175 of the town law, as amended by chapter 334 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
1. An annual election shall be held in each fire district on the [second Tuesday in December, except that in the Ocean Bay Park fire district, the Lonelyville fire district, the Davis Park fire district, the Cherry Grove fire district, the Fair Harbor fire district and the Fire Island Pines fire district, Suffolk county, such annual election shall be held on the second Tuesday in July, except that in the town of Salisbury, Herkimer county, such annual election shall be held on the Tuesday next succeeding the first Monday in November from six o'clock in the morning until nine o'clock in the evening and except that in the Belfast fire district, Allegany county, such annual election shall be held on the first Tuesday in December] same date and at the same polling place as the election of school board members for the school district of the municipality. The board of fire commissioners shall give notice thereof by the publication of a notice once in one or more newspapers having a general circulation in the district. The first publication of such notice shall be not less than twenty-seven days and not more than thirty-four days prior to the date of such election. Such notice shall specify the time when and the place where such election will be held, the officers to be elected thereat and their terms of office, and the hours during which the polls will be open for the receipt of ballots. The secretary of such fire district shall, subject to the approval of the board of elections, prepare the ballots for all elections of fire
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04558-01-9
A. 1950 2
district officers and the polls shall remain open for the receipt thereof at all elections of fire district officers from six o'clock in the [evening] morning until nine o'clock in the evening [and such additional consecutive hours prior thereto as the board of fire commissioners of such district may have determined and specified in the notice thereof. The board of fire commissioners shall designate a resident fire district elector, who shall be a registered voter of the town, to act as chairman of any election of said district and shall designate not less than two nor more than four resident fire district electors, who shall be registered voters of the town to act as election inspectors and ballot clerks at such elections. No elective officer of the fire district shall serve as such chairman or as an election inspector or ballot clerk. The board of fire commissioners may adopt a resolution providing that such chairman, election inspectors and ballot clerks shall be paid for their respective services at any such annual election or at any special election of the fire district. Such resolution, if adopted, shall fix the amount of such compensation, as follows: if the hours during which the polls will be open for the receipt of ballots are from six o'clock in the evening until nine o'clock in the evening, a sum not to exceed thirty-five dollars for each such official; if additional consecutive hours prior to six o'clock in the evening are determined and specified in the notice of election, a sum not to exceed fifty dollars for each such official]. The method and manner of submission, preparation and provision of ballots and ballot labels, use of voting machines, qualifications of voters, correcting registers, and conducting the election, canvassing the result and making and filing the returns, and all other procedures with reference to the submission of any vote, shall be in the same method and manner used for voting in the school board election, or as close as is practical, as determined by the county board of elections provided, however, that all costs associated with such ballots and any additional poll workers necessary for such vote shall be borne by such fire district. The local board of elections shall appoint such poll workers as deemed necessary by such board and shall prescribe their duties, titles, ranks and salary in accordance with the provision set forth in section 3-300 of the election law.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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.