Faster Ballots for Military Voters

Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 1-106 of the election law, as amended by chapter 700 of the laws of 1977, is amended to read as follows:

1. All papers required to be filed pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall, unless otherwise provided, be filed between the hours of

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD04591-04-9

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nine A.M. and five P.M. If the last day for filing shall fall on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the next business day shall become the last day for filing. All papers sent by mail in an envelope postmarked prior to midnight of the last day of filing shall be deemed timely filed and accepted for filing when received, except that all certificates and petitions of designation or nomination, certificates of acceptance or declination of such designations or nominations, certificates of authorization for such designations or nominations, certificates of disqualification, certificates of substitution for such designations or nominations and objections and specifications of objections to such certificates and petitions required to be filed with the state board of elections or a board of elections outside of the city of New York shall be deemed timely filed and accepted for filing if sent by mail or overnight delivery service pursuant to subdivision three of this section, and received no later than two business days after the last day to file such certificates, petitions, objections or specifications. Failure of the post office or any other person or entity to deliver any such petition, certificate or objection to such board of elections outside the city of New York no later than two business days after the last day to file such certificates, petitions, objections or specifications shall be a fatal defect. Excepted further that all certificates and petitions of designation or nomination, certificates of acceptance or declination of such designations and nominations, certificates of substitution for such designations or nominations and objections and specifications of objections to such certificates and petitions required to be filed with the board of elections of the city of New York must be actually received by such city board of elections on or before the last day to file any such petition, certificate or objection and such office shall be open for the receipt of such petitions, certificates and objections until midnight on the last day to file any such petition, certificate or objection. Failure of the post office or any other person or entity to deliver any such petition, certificate or objection to such city board of elections on or before such last day shall be a fatal defect.

§ 2. Subdivision 1 of section 4-104 of the election law, as amended by chapter 180 of the laws of 2005, is amended to read as follows:

1. Every board of elections shall, in consultation with each city, town and village, designate the polling places in each election district in which the meetings for the registration of voters, and for any election may be held. The board of trustees of each village in which general and special village elections conducted by the board of elections are held at a time other than the time of a general election shall submit such a list of polling places for such village elections to the board of elections. A polling place may be located in a building owned by a religious organization or used by it as a place of worship. If such a building is designated as a polling place, it shall not be required to be open for voter registration on any Saturday if this is contrary to the religious beliefs of the religious organization. In such a situation, the board of elections shall designate an alternate location to be used for voter registration. Such polling places must be designated by [May first] March fifteenth, of each year, and shall be effective for one year thereafter. Such a list required to be submitted by a village board of trustees must be submitted at least four months before each general village election and shall be effective until four months before the subsequent general village election. No place in which a business licensed to sell alcoholic beverages for on premises consump-

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tion is conducted on any day of local registration or of voting shall be so designated. If, within the discretion of the board of elections a particular polling place so designated is subsequently found to be unsuitable or unsafe or should circumstances arise that make a designated polling place unsuitable or unsafe, then the board of elections is empowered to select an alternative meeting place. In the city of New York, the board of elections shall designate such polling places and alternate registration places if the polling place cannot be used for voter registration on Saturdays.

§ 3. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 4-106 of the election law, subdivision 2 as amended by chapter 635 of the laws of 1990, are amended to read as follows:

1. The state board of elections shall, [at least eight months before each] by February first in the year of each general election, make and transmit to the board of elections of each county, a certificate stating each office, except county, city, village and town offices to be voted for at such election in such county.

2. Each county, city, village and town clerk, [at least eight months before each] by February first in the year of each general election, shall make and transmit to the board of elections a certificate stating each county, city, village or town office, respectively to be voted for at each such election. Each village clerk, at least five months before each general village election conducted by the board of elections, shall make, and transmit to such board, a certificate stating each village office to be filled at such election.

§ 4. Paragraph b of subdivision 1 of section 4-108 of the election law, as amended by chapter 117 of the laws of 1985, is amended to read as follows:

b. Whenever any proposal, proposition or referendum as provided by law is to be submitted to a vote of the people of a county, city, town, village or special district, at an election conducted by the board of elections, the clerk of such political subdivision, at least [thirty-six days] three months prior to the general election at which such proposal, proposition or referendum is to be submitted, shall transmit to each board of elections a certified copy of the text of such proposal, proposition or referendum and a statement of the form in which it is to be submitted. If a special election is to be held, such transmittal shall also give the date of such election.

§ 5. Section 4-110 of the election law, as amended by chapter 434 of the laws of 1984, is amended to read as follows:

§ 4-110. Certification of primary election candidates; state board of elections. The state board of elections, not later than [thirty-six] fifty-five days before a primary election, shall certify to each county board of elections: The name and residence of each candidate to be voted for within the political subdivision of such board for whom a designation has been filed with the state board; the title of the office or position for which the candidate is designated; the name of the party upon whose primary ballot his or her name is to be placed; and the order in which the names of the candidates are to be printed as determined by the state board. Where an office or position is uncontested, such certification shall state such fact.

§ 6. Subdivision 1 of section 4-112 of the election law, as amended by chapter 4 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:

1. The state board of elections, not later than [thirty-six] fiftyfive days before a general election, or fifty-three days before a special election, shall certify to each county board of elections the

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name and residence of each candidate nominated in any valid certificate filed with it or by the returns canvassed by it, the title of the office for which nominated; the name of the party or body specified of which he or she is a candidate; the emblem chosen to distinguish the candidates of the party or body; and a notation as to whether or not any litigation is pending concerning the candidacy. Upon the completion of any such litigation, the state board of elections shall forthwith notify the appropriate county boards of elections of the results of such litigation.

§ 7. Section 4-114 of the election law, as amended by chapter 4 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:

§ 4-114. Determination of candidates and questions; county board of elections. The county board of elections, not later than the [thirtyfifth] fifty-fourth day before the day of a primary or general election, or the fifty-third day before a special election, shall determine the candidates duly nominated for public office and the questions that shall appear on the ballot within the jurisdiction of that board of elections.

§ 8. Subdivision 1 of section 4-117 of the election law, as amended by chapter 3 of the laws of 2018, is amended to read as follows:

1. The board of elections,[ between August first and August fifth of each year] not less than sixty-five days nor more than seventy days before the primary election in each year, shall send by mail on which is endorsed such language designated by the state board of elections to ensure postal authorities do not forward such mail but return it to the board of elections with forwarding information, when it cannot be delivered as addressed and which contains a request that any such mail received for persons not residing at the address be dropped back in the mail, a communication, in a form approved by the state board of elections, to every registered voter who has been registered without a change of address since the beginning of such year, except that the board of elections shall not be required to send such communications to voters in inactive status. The communication shall notify the voter of the days and hours of the ensuing primary and general elections, the place where he or she appears by his or her registration records to be entitled to vote, the fact that voters who have moved or will have moved from the address where they were last registered must re-register or, that if such move was to another address in the same county or city, that such voter may either notify the board of elections of his or her new address or vote by paper ballot at the polling place for his or her new address even if such voter has not re-registered, or otherwise notified the board of elections of the change of address. If the primary will not be held on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in September, the communication shall contain a conspicuous notice in all capital letters and bold font notifying the voter of the primary date. If the location of the polling place for the voter's election district has been moved, the communication shall contain the following legend in bold type: "YOUR POLLING PLACE HAS BEEN CHANGED. YOU NOW VOTE AT..........". The communication shall also indicate whether the polling place is accessible to physically disabled voters, that a voter who will be out of the city or county on the day of the primary or general election or a voter who is ill or physically disabled may obtain an absentee ballot, that a physically disabled voter whose polling place is not accessible may request that his registration record be moved to an election district which has a polling place which is accessible, the phone number to call for applications to move a registration record or for absentee ballot applications, the phone number to call for the location of regis-

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tration and polling places, the phone number to call to indicate that the voter is willing to serve on election day as an election inspector, poll clerk, interpreter or in other capacities, the phone number to call to obtain an application for registration by mail, and such other information concerning the elections or registration as the board may include. In lieu of sending such communication to every registered voter, the board of elections may send a single communication to a household containing more than one registered voter, provided that the names of all such voters appear as part of the address on such communication.

§ 9. Subdivision 1 of section 5-604 of the election law, as amended by chapter 28 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:

1. The board of elections shall also cause to be published for each election district a complete list of the registered voters of each election district. Such list shall, in addition to the information required for registration lists, include the party enrollment of each voter. At least as many copies of such list shall be prepared as the required minimum number of registration lists.