What's happening
This bill increases the maximum number of early voting polling sites in New York counties and sets specific requirements for cities and towns with over 100,000 residents.
Why it matters
Expanding the maximum number of early voting sites (from 7 to 10 per county) could significantly increase access to early voting, potentially reducing wait times and making it easier for more people—especially those in populous counties—to participate in elections.
By setting a separate, higher maximum (11) for cities and towns with populations above 100,000, the bill directly addresses urban areas where voter density and demand for polling places are often greatest, aiming to prevent overcrowding and logistical issues during early voting periods.
The requirement that, where practicable, early voting sites in large cities and towns be located along public transportation routes is intended to improve accessibility for voters who rely on transit, helping to ensure that low-income and car-free residents have better opportunities to vote early.
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Who cares
County boards of elections
The bill would raise the county-level ceiling on required early voting sites from seven to ten, unless another provision of law requires more.
Voters in cities and towns with populations over 100,000 but under one million
These municipalities would need at least one early voting site per full increment of 50,000 registered voters, with no requirement under this provision to exceed eleven sites.
Voters who use public transportation
Early voting sites in qualifying cities and towns with public transportation routes would have to be located along those routes to the extent practicable.
Headline styles
Increase Early Voting Sites
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- 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.
Increase Early Voting Sites
In Assembly Committee · Election Law · Sponsor Monica Martinez
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
9792
IN ASSEMBLY
February 12, 2020
Introduced by M. of A. LAVINE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to the number of polling sites for early voting in certain cities and towns
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of section 8-600 of the election law, as added by chapter 6 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
(a) The board of elections shall designate polling places for early voting, which may include the offices of the board of elections, for persons to vote early pursuant to this title. There shall be so designated at least one early voting polling place for every full increment of fifty thousand registered voters in each county; provided, however, the number of early voting polling places in a county shall not be required to be greater than [seven] ten unless required by any other provision of law, and a county with fewer than fifty thousand voters shall have at least one early voting polling place.
In cities or towns with a population of more than one hundred thousand, but less than one million based on the latest federal decennial census, there shall be at least one early voting polling place for every full increment of fifty thousand registered voters in each such city and town; provided, however, the number of early voting polling places in each such city and town shall not be required to be greater than eleven, and to the extent practicable, if such cities or towns have public transportation routes, such polling places shall be situated along such transportation routes.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14367-05-0
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.