What's happening
This bill prohibits public school buildings with instructional space from being used as early polling locations in New York.
Why it matters
Reduced Disruption to School Operations. By prohibiting the use of public school buildings with instructional space as early polling locations, the bill aims to minimize interruptions to educational activities, ensuring classes and school routines are not affected by the logistics and security needs of early voting.
Potential Impact on Voter Access. The removal of schools with instructional space from the pool of available early polling sites could limit convenient polling locations, especially in communities where public schools are centrally located and accessible, possibly requiring voters to travel farther to cast early ballots.
Local School District Autonomy. The bill gives school superintendents the explicit authority to decline the use of non-instructional school buildings as early polling sites, increasing local control and flexibility in balancing community needs with school district operations.
Shift in Polling Site Selection. Election officials will need to identify alternative early polling locations, which may involve logistical challenges, potential costs, or reliance on less familiar or less accessible facilities for voters.
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Who cares
Headline styles
No Polls in School Buildings
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Assembly Member · Assembly District 127
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to election law
- Referred to election law
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
396
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by M. of A. STIRPE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to exempting certain public school buildings from being designated as early polling locations
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 8-600 of the election law is amended by adding a new paragraph (i) to read as follows:
(i) No public school building with instructional space shall be designated as an early polling location.
§ 2. Subdivision 3 of section 4-104 of the election law, as amended by chapter 694 of the laws of 1989, is amended to read as follows:
3. A building exempt from taxation shall be used whenever possible as a polling place if it is situated in the same or a contiguous election district, and may contain as many distinctly separate polling places as public convenience may require. The expense, if any, incidental to its use, shall be paid like the expense of other places of registration and voting. If a board or body empowered to designate polling places chooses a public school building for such purpose, the board or agency which controls such building must make available a room or rooms in such building which are suitable for registration and voting and which are as close as possible to a convenient entrance to such building and must make available any such room or rooms which the board or body designating such building determines are accessible to physically disabled voters as provided in subdivision one-a. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subdivision, no board or body empowered to designate polling places shall designate a public school building with instructional space as an early polling location, and if such board or body designates a public school building that does not have instructional space as an
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01513-01-5
early polling location, the superintendent of such school district may decline such designation. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general, special or local law, if a board or body empowered to designate polling places chooses a publicly owned or leased building, other than a public school building, for such purposes the board or body which controls such building must make available a room or rooms in such building which are suitable for registration and voting and which are as close as possible to a convenient entrance to such building, and must make available any such room or rooms which the board or body designating such building determines are accessible to physically disabled voters unless, not later than thirty days after notice of its designation as a polling place, the board or body controlling such building, files a written request for a cancellation of such designation with the board or body empowered to designate polling places on such form as shall be provided by the board or body making such designation. The board or body empowered to so designate shall, within twenty days after such request is filed, determine whether the use of such building as a polling place would unreasonably interfere with the usual activities conducted in such building and upon such determination, may cancel such designation.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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.