What's happening
This bill amends election law to ensure voting system testing requirements do not prevent providing all election district ballots at each early voting site.
Why it matters
Reduces barriers to county-wide early voting access. By ensuring that voting system testing requirements cannot be used as a reason to limit the availability of all election district ballots at every early voting site, the bill makes it easier for voters to cast ballots at any early voting location in their county.
Limits the use of logistical challenges as a justification for restricting voter choice. The bill removes language that previously allowed boards of elections to assign voters to specific early voting locations based on the impracticality of providing all district ballots, thus reducing administrative discretion that could limit voter flexibility.
Increases responsibility on election administrators. County boards and the state board of elections will need to find ways to comply with ballot access requirements without citing equipment testing constraints, potentially leading to changes in how voting machines are certified, tested, or deployed.
Aims to promote equity and convenience in early voting. By making it harder for administrative or technical hurdles to restrict ballot availability, the bill supports more uniform access to early voting, likely benefitting voters who have limited ability to travel to specific polling locations.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Make Early Voting Easier
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to elections
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7627
IN SENATE
February 3, 2020
Introduced by Sen. MYRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to ensuring that voting systems testing requirements do not make it impractical to provide each polling place for early voting all of the election district ballots
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivisions 2 and 3 of section 8-600 of the election law, as added by chapter 6 of the laws of 2019, are amended to read as follows:
2. (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, and] a county with fewer than fifty thousand voters shall have at least one early voting polling place.
(b) The board of elections of each county or the city of New York may establish additional polling places for early voting in excess of the minimum number required by this subdivision for the convenience of eligible voters.
(c) Notwithstanding the minimum number of early voting poll sites otherwise required by this subdivision, for any [primary or] special election, upon majority vote of the board of elections, the number of early voting sites may be reduced when the board of elections determines a lesser number of sites is sufficient to meet the needs of early voters.
(d) Polling places for early voting shall 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 such other factors the board of elections deems appropri-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14437-01-9
S. 7627 2
ate. The provisions of section 4-104 of this chapter, except subdivisions four and five of such section, shall apply to the designation of polling places for early voting except to the extent such provisions are inconsistent with this section.
3. Any voter may vote at any polling place for early voting established pursuant to subdivision two of this section in the county where such voter is registered to vote; provided, however, if it is impractical to provide each polling place for early voting all of the election district ballots [or if early voting at any such polling place makes ensuring that no voter has not previously voted early during such election], the board of elections may assign election districts to a particular early voting poll site. All voters in each county shall have one or more polling places at which they are eligible to vote throughout the early voting period on a substantially equal basis. If the board of elections does not agree by majority vote to plan to assign election districts to early voting poll sites, all voters in the county must be able to vote at any poll site for early voting in the county.
§ 2. Section 8-602 of the election law, as added by chapter 6 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
§ 8-602. State board of elections; powers and duties for early voting. The state board of elections shall promulgate rules or regulations necessary for the implementation of the provisions of this title. Such rules and regulations shall include, but not be limited to, provisions to: (i) ensure that ballots cast early, by any method allowed under law, are counted and canvassed as if cast on election day[,]; (ii) ensure an efficient and fair early voting process that respects the privacy of the voter[, and]; (iii) require that the voting history record for each voter be continually updated to reflect each instance of early voting by such voter; and (iv) ensure that voting systems testing requirements do not make it impractical to provide each polling place for early voting all of the election district ballots.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law and shall apply to any general, primary, run-off primary or special election held thereafter as provided for in the election law.
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 ensuring that voting systems testing requirements do not make it impractical to provide each polling place for early voting all of the election district ballots
Purpose
To allow for early voting sites countywide, and allowing for voters to vote at any polling site within their election district.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 removes the set maximum number of early voting polling places in a county, and requires the State board of elections to ensure that voting system testing requirements do not limit the ability to provide each polling place all of the election district ballots.
Section 2 sets the effective date.
Justification
This bill would allow early voting sites countywide. This bill would ensure that larger numbers of early voting sites are available and each polling site receives all of a district's ballots, with the appropriate ballot testing requirements met in time for early voting. Voters would be able to go to any polling site within their election district, allow- ing larger numbers of voters to participate in early voting. By making the process more convenient, this bill would encourage larger numbers of voters to participate in early voting.
Legislative history
New Bill.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become law and shall apply to any general, primary, run-off primary or special election held thereafter as provided for in the election law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.