STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1028 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 6, 2021 ___________ Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- 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 absentee ballot track- ing The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The election law is amended by adding a new section 8-414 2 to read as follows: 3 § 8-414. Absentee ballot tracking. 1. The state board of elections 4 shall establish and maintain an electronic absentee ballot tracking 5 system by way of a secure website or web portal through which any regis- 6 tered voter in the state who has submitted an application for an absen- 7 tee ballot, or who otherwise has a right to receive an absentee ballot, 8 for an upcoming election pursuant to this chapter may view the current 9 status of their absentee application or absentee ballot. Such website 10 shall not require users to create an account. Such website shall indi- 11 cate for each such voter whether the voter's board of elections has: 12 a. received such voter's request for an absentee ballot, if applica- 13 ble; 14 b. approved or rejected such request, if applicable, and, if rejected, 15 a brief statement of the reason for rejection; 16 c. mailed or delivered an absentee ballot to such voter for such 17 upcoming election; 18 d. received such voter's completed absentee ballot for such upcoming 19 election; 20 e. counted or rejected such voter's completed absentee ballot for such 21 upcoming election, and, if rejected, a brief statement of the reason for 22 rejection; and 23 f. determined that the ballot envelope is subject to a cure pursuant 24 to subdivisions three and three-a of section 9-209 of this chapter, the EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD07485-01-1

S. 1028 2 1 deadline to submit the cure, and how to obtain information about the 2 cure from the applicable board of elections, if applicable. 3 2. Each county board of elections shall transmit electronically in a 4 format and timeframe to be determined by the state board of elections, 5 the data required by the state board of elections to be furnished to 6 effectuate the requirements of this section. 7 3. The absentee ballot tracking website or portal provided for by this 8 section shall be used to provide information to a voter seeking informa- 9 tion about the voter's own ballot and shall not be used to provide such 10 information to others. 11 4. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any county 12 board of elections or the board of the elections of the city of New York 13 may establish and maintain an electronic absentee ballot tracking system 14 by way of a secure website or web portal for absentee ballot applicants 15 who are residents of the respective county or city of New York. 16 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed- 17 ing the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediate- 18 ly, the state board of elections shall be authorized to implement neces- 19 sary rules and regulations and to take steps required to implement this 20 act; and the county boards of elections or the board of elections for 21 the city of New York may establish and maintain an electronic absentee 22 ballot tracking system pursuant to section one of this act.

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