What's happening
This bill increases the maximum number of early voting polling places in counties and sets new requirements for cities and towns with over 100,000 people, including placement along public transportation routes.
Why it matters
Increasing the cap on early voting sites from seven to ten per county means more access points for early voting, which could ease congestion and reduce wait times, especially in densely populated or geographically large counties.
For cities and towns with over 100,000 residents, the new mandate ensures that the number of early voting sites is proportional to population size, up to eleven sites—targeting improved access in urban areas where turnout and demand may be higher.
The requirement to place early voting sites along public transportation routes, where feasible, specifically addresses accessibility for voters without cars, potentially reducing barriers for lower-income, elderly, or disabled residents.
These changes could lead to higher early voting participation, more equitable access across different communities, and a voting process that better accommodates the needs of diverse populations.
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Who cares
County boards of elections
The bill would raise the cap on required county early voting sites from seven to ten, unless another provision of law requires more.
Cities and towns with populations over 100,000 but under one million
The bill would require at least one early voting site per full increment of 50,000 registered voters in each municipality, with no more than eleven required under that provision.
Voters who use public transportation in those cities and towns
The bill would require early voting sites to be located along public transportation routes to the extent practicable, where those routes exist.
Headline styles
Increase Early Voting Sites
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to election law
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 40–20
- Ordered to third reading cal.6
- Reported and committed to rules
- Referred to elections
- Print number 6923a
- Amend and recommit to rules
- Referred to rules
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 Charles Lavine
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6923--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
December 20, 2019
Introduced by Sen. MARTINEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
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.
LBD14367-04-0
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the election law, in relation to the number of polling sites for early voting in certain cities and towns
Purpose
This bill amends previously enacted early voting provisions to provide that New York's high population cities and towns outside of New York City must contain at least one early voting polling location per full increment of fifty thousand registered voters.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Amends § 8-600 of the Election Law to provide that, in cities and towns (outside of New York City) which have a population which exceeds one hundred thousand persons (per the latest federal decennial census), such municipalities must contain at least one early voting polling location per each full increment of fifty thousand registered voters.
Read the full memo (836 words)
If such cities and towns contain public transportation routes, such polling places must be situated along such transportation routes to the extent practicable.
This section also increases the maximum required number of polling locations per county from seven to ten, and provides that the required maximum of ten does not apply where other provisions of law, including these new provisions, conflict with the maximum of ten required polling locations provision.
Section 2: Effective date.
Existing law
Currently, the board of elections in each county must designate early voting locations. There must be at least one early voting location for every full increment of 50,000 voters in each county, with a maximum required number of locations in each county set at seven. Polling plac- es for early voting should be located so that voters in the county have adequate and equitable access, 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 other such factors the board of elections deems appropri- ate.
Justification
In 2019, New York state lawmakers took historic steps in approving a series of reforms intended to make New York's voting process easier, more efficient, more transparent, and more accountable to its citizens. Among these reforms were the scheduling of state and federal primaries on the same day, automatic updating of voters' registrations when they move, preregistration of those ages 16 and 17 prior to an election in which they will be eligible to vote, and requirements that established
10 days of early voting which includes two full weekends prior to elections.
With regard to early voting, the intent of the legislature was to provide a flexible timeline within which voters can cast their ballots, taking into account the reality that voters often have busy schedules, vacations, and family obligations that can get in the way of voting on election day. Early voting provides flexibility and a longer voting process that encourages civic involvement by New York's citizens.
Key components of ensuring the success and accessibility of early voting are the location and number of polling sites. The original legislation set a minimum threshold for the number of polling locations, with one polling location for each 50,000 voters. The legislature was also care- ful to include provisions stating that when siting polling locations, population density, travel time, and public transportation routes should be key considerations. These provisions recognize that inaccessibility to early voting polling locations will undermine the utility of the early voting program.
Following analysis of early voting polling site locations after the 2019 election cycle, the State Legislature discovered that the decisions of county boards of elections have resulted in varying levels of access to early voting based on which county a voter is located in and local siting decisions. In some large counties, there were as few as .33 sites per fifty thousand persons, or as many as 2 per fifty thousand (six times the level of access to early voting in the latter vs the former). At the municipal level, large cities and towns in the same region had as many as 1.38 polling locations per fifty thousand persons, or as few as .1 polling places for fifty thousand persons (13.8 times the level of access in the latter vs the former), demonstrating a severe disparity in access. The information demonstrates that, in some cases, voters living in high population areas are not afforded the same level of access as those who live in less densely populated areas, or that their level of access may be based on some consideration other than the realities of population density and how it affects access.
This legislation seeks to remedy this issue with regard to large cities and towns by permitting for more equitable and evenly distributed access to early voting polling locations across the state. The legislation ensures that voters living in high population areas will not be disen- franchised from the early voting system simply because of their residen- cy in a large municipality, and will expand access in densely populated areas.
Legislative history
This is a new bill.
Fiscal implications
There is no cost to the state.
Local fiscal implications
To be determined.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.