NY State Senate Bill 2015-S1044A

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Apr 13, 2016	print number 1044a
Apr 13, 2016	amend and recommit to elections
Jan 06, 2016	referred to elections
Jan 08, 2015	referred to elections

Bill Amendments

Original

A (Active)

2015-S1044 - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Elections
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §8-100, El L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2013-2014: S6148
2017-2018: S1397

2015-S1044 - Summary

Changes the days of voting for primary and general elections; establishes first Saturday and Sunday after the second Friday in September for the primary election as days of voting; establishes the first Saturday and Sunday after the first Friday in November for the general election as days of voting.

2015-S1044 - Sponsor Memo

                                BILL NUMBER:S1044

TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the election law, in relation to the
days of voting for the primary and general elections

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

The purpose of the bill is change the days of voting for the primary
and general elections to weekend days rather than Tuesdays.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill amends paragraphs (a) and (c) of subdivision 1
of section 8-100 of the election law by changing the days of voting in
"paragraph (a)" the primary election to the first Saturday and Sunday
after the second Friday in September before every general election and
in "paragraph (c)" in the general election to the Saturday and Sunday
next succeeding the first Friday in November.

Section 2 of the bill sets forth an effective date of the first of
January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become law.

JUSTIFICATION:

The long-standing tradition of holding federal elections on the first
Tuesday of November began with an act of Congress in 1845. Tuesday was

selected for its comparative convenience because it was a designated
"court day" and the day in which land-owners would typically be in
town to conduct business. The tradition was based on the then-agrarian
American society.

Although polls are open in New York state on one day for a total of 15
hours (from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.), this one day voting is very
inconvenient for very many people especially those who must go either
before or after the work day when there are often very long lines in
many polling places. As a result many voters are deterred from going
to vote because of the inconvenience. Evidence of this can be seen in
the fact that only 58 percent of eligible voters cast a vote in the
2012 general election.

This includes approximately 93 million eligible voters across the
country who did not vote. In New York, the 2012 voter turnout was even
less at approximately 53 percent of eligible voters.

Changing the days for voting to weekends will allow many more eligible
voters the necessary flexibility to get to their polling place and
vote.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To Be Determined.

EFFECTIVE DATE:


This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become law.

2015-S1044 - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  1044

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                             January 8, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  AVELLA -- 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 the days of voting  for
  the primary and general elections

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subdivision 1 of section 8-100 of
the election law, paragraph (a) as amended by chapter 17 of the laws  of
2007,  paragraph  (c)  as relettered by chapter 373 of the laws of 1978,
are amended to read as follows:
  (a) A primary election, to be known as the fall primary, shall be held
on the first [Tuesday] SATURDAY AND SUNDAY  after  the  second  [Monday]
FRIDAY  in  September  before  every  general  election unless otherwise
changed by an act of the legislature. In each year in which electors  of
president  and  vice president of the United States are to be elected an
additional primary election, to be known as the spring primary, shall be
held on the first Tuesday in February unless otherwise changed by an act
of the legislature,  for  the  purpose  of  electing  delegates  to  the
national convention, members of state and county committees and assembly
district leaders and associate assembly district leaders.
  (c)  The  general  election  shall  be  held annually on the [Tuesday]
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY next succeeding the first [Monday] FRIDAY in  Novem-
ber.
  S  2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
ing the date on which it shall have become a law.



 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD02143-01-5

2015-S1044A (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Elections
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §8-100, El L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2013-2014: S6148
2017-2018: S1397

2015-S1044A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2015-S1044A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S1044A

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the election law, in relation to the
days of voting for the primary and general elections

 PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL :

The purpose of the bill is change the days of voting for the primary
and general elections to weekend days rather than Tuesdays.

 SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS :

Section 1 of the bill amends paragraphs (a) and (c) of subdivision 1
of section 8-100 of the election law by changing the days of voting in
"paragraph (a)" the primary election to the first Saturday and Sunday
after the second Friday in September before every general election and
in "paragraph (c)" in the general election to the Saturday and Sunday
next succeeding the first Friday in November.

Section 2 of the bill sets forth an effective date of the first of
January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become law.

 JUSTIFICATION :

The long-standing tradition of holding federal elections on the first
Tuesday of November began with an act of Congress in 1845. Tuesday was

selected for its comparative convenience because it was a designated
"court day" and the day in which land-owners would typically be in
town to conduct business. The tradition was based on the then-agrarian
American society.

Although polls are open in New York state on one day for a total of 15
hours (from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.), this one day voting is very
inconvenient for very many people especially those who must go either
before or after the work day when there are often very long lines in
many polling places. As a result many voters are deterred from going
to vote because of the inconvenience. Evidence of this can be seen in
the fact that only 58 percent of eligible voters cast a vote in the
2012 general election.

This includes approximately 93 million eligible voters across the
country who did not vote. In New York, the 2012 voter turnout was even
less at approximately 53 percent of eligible voters.  Changing the
days for voting to weekends will allow many more eligible voters the
necessary flexibility to get to their polling place and vote.

 PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

New Bill.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

To Be Determined.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become law.

2015-S1044A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                 1044--A

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                             January 8, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  AVELLA -- 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 the days of voting  for
  the primary and general elections

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1  of  section  8-100  of  the
election  law,  as amended by chapter 87 of the laws of 2015, is amended
to read as follows:
  (a) A primary election, to be known as the fall primary, shall be held
on the first [Tuesday] SATURDAY AND SUNDAY  after  the  second  [Monday]
FRIDAY  in  September  before  every  general  election unless otherwise
changed by an act of  the  legislature.  Members  of  state  and  county
committees and assembly district leaders and associate assembly district
leaders  and all other party positions to be elected shall be elected at
the fall primary and all nominations for state and local  public  office
required  to be made at a primary election in such year shall be made at
the fall primary. In the year two thousand sixteen in which electors  of
president  and vice president of the United States are to be elected, an
additional primary election, to be known as  the  presidential  primary,
shall  be  held on April nineteenth, two thousand sixteen, unless other-
wise changed by an act of the legislature, for the purpose  of  electing
delegates and alternate delegates to the national convention.
  S  2.  Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 8-100 of the election
law, as amended by chapter 17 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as
follows:
  (a) A primary election, to be known as the fall primary, shall be held
on the first [Tuesday] SATURDAY AND SUNDAY  after  the  second  [Monday]

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD02143-02-6

S. 1044--A                          2

FRIDAY  in  September  before  every  general  election unless otherwise
changed by an act of the legislature.  In each year in which electors of
president and vice president of the United States are to be  elected  an
additional primary election, to be known as the spring primary, shall be
held on the first Tuesday in February unless otherwise changed by an act
of  the  legislature,  for  the  purpose  of  electing  delegates to the
national convention, members of state and county committees and assembly
district leaders and associate assembly district leaders.
  S 3. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 1 of section 8-100 of  the  election
law,  as  relettered  by  chapter 373 of the laws of 1978, is amended to
read as follows:
  (c) The general election shall  be  held  annually  on  the  [Tuesday]
SATURDAY  AND SUNDAY next succeeding the first [Monday] FRIDAY in Novem-
ber.
  S 4. This act shall take effect immediately, provided that the  amend-
ments to paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 8-100 of the election
law  made  by section one of this act shall be subject to the expiration
and reversion of such paragraph pursuant to section 13 of chapter 87  of
the  laws  of  2015,  as  amended, when upon such date the provisions of
section two of this act shall take effect.

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Senate Bill S1044A

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

Actions

Bill Amendments

2015-S1044 - Details

2015-S1044 - Summary

2015-S1044 - Sponsor Memo

2015-S1044 - Bill Text download pdf

2015-S1044A (ACTIVE) - Details

2015-S1044A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2015-S1044A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2015-S1044A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

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Sponsored By

Tony Avella

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

Actions

Bill Amendments

2015-S1044 - Details

2015-S1044 - Summary

2015-S1044 - Sponsor Memo

2015-S1044 - Bill Text download pdf

2015-S1044A (ACTIVE) - Details

2015-S1044A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2015-S1044A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2015-S1044A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments