S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    780
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 6, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A. D. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Election Law
 
 AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to the canvass of absentee
   ballots as they are received
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  1  of  section 9-209 of the election law, as
 amended by chapter 104 of the laws  of  2010,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   1.  (a)  The  board of elections shall designate itself or such of its
 employees as it shall deem appropriate as a set of poll clerks  to  cast
 and  canvass  such  ballots[, and fix a time and place for their meeting
 for such purpose, provided that such meeting shall be no more than four-
 teen days after a general or special election and  no  more  than  eight
 days  after  a  primary  election at which such ballots are voted] IMME-
 DIATELY AS THEY ARE RECEIVED. The board may designate additional sets of
 poll clerks and if it designates more than one such set shall  apportion
 among  all such sets the election districts from which such ballots have
 been received, provided that all such ballots  from  a  single  election
 district shall be assigned to a single set of clerks, and that each such
 set  shall  be  divided equally between representatives of the two major
 political parties. Each such set of clerks shall  be  deemed  a  central
 board of inspectors for purposes of this section.
   (b)  [At  least  five  days  prior to the time fixed for such meeting]
 PRIOR TO THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS RECEIVING SUCH BALLOTS, the board  shall
 send  notice by first class mail to each candidate, political party, and
 independent body entitled to have had watchers present at the  polls  in
 any  election  district  in  the board's jurisdiction. Such notice shall
 state the time and place fixed by the board for WHEN such canvass  SHALL
 BEGIN.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
              

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05142-01-1

 A. 780                              2
 
   (c)  Each  such candidate, political party, and independent body shall
 be entitled to appoint such number  of  watchers  to  attend  upon  each
 central board of inspectors as such candidate, political party, or inde-
 pendent  body  was  entitled  to  appoint  at  such  election in any one
 election  district  for which such central board of inspectors is desig-
 nated to act.
   § 2. The opening paragraph of subparagraph (i)  of  paragraph  (a)  of
 subdivision  2 of section 9-209 of the election law, as amended by chap-
 ter 308 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
   Upon assembling at the time and place fixed  for  [such  meeting]  THE
 CANVASS OF SUCH BALLOTS, each central board of inspectors shall examine,
 cast,  and  canvass  the  envelopes and the ballots therein contained as
 nearly as practicable in the following manner:
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.