What's happening
This bill allows New York counties to establish mobile polling places for early voting, in addition to existing polling location requirements.
Why it matters
Mobile polling places can be added but not substituted for existing early voting sites. , ensuring that any expansion of access does not reduce the number of permanent locations already required for early voting in a county.
State oversight ensures fairness and scalability. the State Board of Elections determines how many mobile locations a county can have, based on population, so expansion is responsive to actual local needs rather than a one-size-fits-all mandate.
Site selection is guided by factors like population density, travel time, and public transit access. , potentially improving early voting accessibility for voters in remote, underserved, or high-traffic areas, and targeting areas where traditional polling sites may be less convenient.
Mobile polling places must operate for at least three consecutive days. , providing a guaranteed window of access and preventing token or symbolic deployment that would do little to increase actual voting opportunities.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Mobile Early Voting Sites
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to election law
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
9613
IN ASSEMBLY
January 27, 2020
Introduced by M. of A. GALEF -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to establishing mobile polling places for early voting
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 8-600 of the election law is amended by adding a new subdivision 2-a to read as follows:
2-a. (a) In addition to the designation of polling places required by subdivision two of this section, a county board of elections may establish two or more locations for mobile polling places for early voting, provided that the maximum number of locations a county may establish for such mobile polling places shall be determined by the state board of elections based on population.
(b) Locations for mobile polling places for early voting shall be selected to provide the maximum number of voters in a county with adequate access to early voting, taking into consideration population density, travel time to the polling place, proximity to other early voting poll sites, public transportation routes, commuter traffic patterns and such other factors the board of elections deems appropriate.
(c) Locations for mobile polling places for early voting shall be operational for no fewer than three consecutive days.
(d) No mobile polling place for early voting established by this subdivision shall replace or otherwise decrease the number of polling places for early voting required by subdivision two of this section.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14353-01-9
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.