Senate Bill S1836

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S1836

 TITLE OF BILL :

An act to amend the election law, in relation to permitting election
inspectors and poll clerks to work half shifts


 PURPOSE :

Permits boards of elections to engage election inspectors and poll
clerks to work half day shifts, their compensation to be prorated
accordingly.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1 adds a new subdivision 7 to section 3-400 of the election
law providing that every board of elections may engage election
inspectors and poll clerks to work half day shifts, with their
compensation to be prorated accordingly.

Section 2 provides that this act shall take effect on the one hundred
twentieth day after it shall have become a law.

 JUSTIFICATION :

              

Many local boards of elections have a very difficult time recruiting
and retaining enough election inspectors and poll clerks to adequately
staff their polling sites on primary and election days. This problem
is exacerbated by low wages and the fact that polling places are
currently open for up to fourteen hours, meaning that election workers
are required to work up to sixteen hours in a single shift. For older
workers and workers responsible for the care of young children, these
hours are simply too burdensome. The local boards could recruit and
retain more election workers if they offered a more humane work
schedule. Allowing half day shifts would make election work more
attractive to the temporary workers the election boards seek to
recruit.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :
2002 - A6647 - Referred to Elections
2004 - A3242 - Referred to Elections
2006 - S4426 - Referred to Elections
2008 - S2254 - Referred to Elections

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

None.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it
shall have become a law; provided that the state board of elections is
authorized to promulgate any rules necessary to implement this act on
or before such effective date.