What's happening
This bill increases the number of votes required for an independent political party to gain official recognition in New York State.
Why it matters
Raising the threshold for party recognition. makes it more difficult for new or smaller independent political parties to gain official status, potentially limiting political diversity and competition in New York State elections.
Impacts ballot access. Only parties that receive at least 100,000 votes for their gubernatorial candidate (up from 50,000) will be officially recognized and can more easily place candidates on future ballots, affecting the visibility and viability of minor parties.
Could discourage voter engagement with third parties. Voters who support emerging or less-established political movements may find those parties less able to participate fully in elections, possibly leading to decreased motivation to vote for alternatives outside the two major parties.
Strengthens major parties’ dominance. By raising the bar for official recognition, the bill may reinforce the power of established parties, making it harder for outsiders to influence policy debates or introduce new ideas into the political mainstream.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Raise Party Recognition Threshold
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to election law
- Referred to election law
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2603
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 24, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. PRETLOW -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to increasing the number of votes an independent political party needs to become a recognized political party in New York state
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 1-104 of the election law is amended to read as follows:
3. The term "party" means any political organization which at the last preceding election for governor polled at least [fifty] one hundred thousand votes for its candidate for governor.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to elections occurring on and after November 1, 2020.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04654-01-9
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.