What's happening
This bill requires local boards of elections in New York to meet new minimum staffing levels based on the number of active registered voters.
Why it matters
Ensures consistent election administration capacity. By mandating minimum staffing levels tied to the number of active voters, the bill aims to prevent local election boards from being understaffed, which can lead to processing delays, errors, and reduced voter confidence.
Creates a predictable staffing formula. The requirement for two additional employees per 20,000 active voters provides a scalable, transparent method for staffing, making it easier for counties and advocates to anticipate resource needs as populations change.
Phased implementation eases fiscal impact. Allowing boards up to three years to meet the new staffing minimums gives local governments time to budget and hire, reducing immediate financial strain while still moving toward improved election services.
May improve political balance and professionalism. As staffing increases, the law’s requirement for equal party representation among employees could help maintain bipartisan oversight, and more full-time staff may enhance the professionalization and reliability of local election administration.
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Who cares
County boards of elections
Boards in counties with more than 10,000 active registered voters would need at least four full-time employees, counting full-time commissioners and deputies.
Election commissioners and board staff
Every board would need two additional employees for each full allotment of 20,000 active registered voters, and understaffed boards would have to add two full-time employees annually and meet the minimum within three years.
Local legislative bodies
The staffing mandates would affect boards whose salaries are set within amounts appropriated by local lawmakers.
Major political parties
Boards would remain required to provide equal representation of the major political parties when appointing employees as they meet the new staffing requirements.
Headline styles
Set Election Staffing Minimums
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
4 Co-sponsors
History
- Print number 843a
- Amend (t) and recommit to elections
- Referred to elections
- Committed to rules
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.957
- Referred to elections
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.
Require More Election Staff
In Assembly Committee · Ways And Means · Sponsor Pamela J. Hunter
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
843--A
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by Sens. MAY, COMRIE, FAHY, RIVERA, WEBB -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections -- recommitted to the Committee on Elections in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to establishing minimum staffing levels for certain local board of elections
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 3-300 of the election law is amended to read as follows:
§ 3-300. Board employees; appointment. 1. Every board of elections shall appoint, and at its pleasure remove, clerks, voting machine technicians, custodians and other employees, fix their number, prescribe their duties, fix their titles and rank and establish their salaries within the amounts appropriated therefor by the local legislative body and shall secure in the appointment of employees of the board of elections equal representation of the major political parties.
2. Every board of elections of a county that includes over ten thousand active registered voters shall employ, at a minimum, four full-time employees inclusive of any full-time commissioners and full-time deputies. Every board of elections shall employ two additional employees for every full allotment of twenty thousand active registered voters under its jurisdiction. Any board of elections below the minimum number of employees required by this subdivision shall hire two additional fulltime employees annually until the minimum requirement is met, provided that the minimum requirement is met within three years of the effective date of this subdivision.
3. Every commissioner in each board of elections except for commissioners of the board of elections of the city of New York, may approve
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03492-03-6
and at pleasure remove a deputy, establish [his] their title and prescribe [his] their duties. In the city of New York, the board of elections shall appoint an executive director and a deputy executive director whose duties it shall be to supervise the operations of the board of elections under the supervision of such board.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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 establishing minimum staffing levels for certain local board of elections
Purpose or general idea of bill
This legislation would ensure that each local board of elections is properly staffed with an appropriate number of employees proportional to the number of registered voters.
Summary of provisions
Section one of the bill would amend section 3-300 of the election law to require boards of elections to employ a minimum of 4 full time employees and employ an additional 2 employees for every 20,000 active registered voters.
Section two would establish the effective date.
Difference between original and amended version (if applicable)
The a-print amendments would include full-time commissioners and full- time deputies in the required number of full-time employees. The amend- ments would also apply to a county that includes over ten thousand active registered voters and remove the provision of beyond forty thou- sand active voters. Additionally, boards of elections would be required to hire two additional full-time employees annually within three years of the effective date.
Justification
Voting is a part of an individual's civic duty. Participation in poli- tical discourse and elections has increased over the past two years. This is largely in part to the fact that New York State has taken affir- mative action to increase voter participation and increase access to voting.
Recent chapters, allow for early voting, ballot drop boxes, and mail in voting. The State is also poised to adopt automatic voter registration, same day registration, a permanent no-fault absentee ballot program. Many boards of elections currently rely on a mix of full time employees and temporary employees a full time staff who is qualified, trained, and up to date with current election law.
The State has assisted local boards with funding early voting initi- atives, including most recently, $2 million in additional funding for Local Boards of Elections in the Adopted Budget FY 2021-2022. A majority of local boards' current staffing structure already comply with this legislation. This would ensure uniformity so that boards of elections are equipped to handle the volume of voters in a given area. Nothing in this law would prohibit a board of elections from hiring more staff than as required by this legislation.
Legislative history
2023-24: A1258A
2021-22: A7780A
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.