S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4565
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 3, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. CURRAN -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Election Law
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the election law, in relation to primary and secondary
   schools being used as polling places
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1.  Subdivision  1  of  section 4-104 of the election law, as
 amended by chapter 180 of the laws  of  2005,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   1.  Every  board  of  elections shall, in consultation with each city,
 town and village, designate the polling places in each election district
 in which the meetings for  the  registration  of  voters,  and  for  any
 election  may  be  held.  The board of trustees of each village in which
 general  and  special  village  elections  conducted  by  the  board  of
 elections  are  held at a time other than the time of a general election
 shall submit such a list of polling places for such village elections to
 the board of elections. A polling place may be  located  in  a  building
 owned  by  a religious organization or used by it as a place of worship.
 If such a building is designated as a polling place,  it  shall  not  be
 required  to  be  open for voter registration on any Saturday if this is
 contrary to the religious beliefs of the religious organization. In such
 a situation,  the  board  of  elections  shall  designate  an  alternate
 location  to  be  used  for  voter registration.  A POLLING PLACE MAY BE
 LOCATED IN A BUILDING UTILIZED FOR PRIMARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL  INSTRUC-
 TION.  IF SUCH A BUILDING IS DESIGNATED AS A POLLING PLACE, IT SHALL NOT
 BE REQUIRED TO BE OPEN FOR VOTER REGISTRATION OR AS A POLLING  PLACE  IF
 THE  SCHOOL IS IN SESSION AND MINORS ARE SCHEDULED TO BE PRESENT ON SUCH
 DAY. IN SUCH A SITUATION, THE BOARD  OF  ELECTIONS  SHALL  DESIGNATE  AN
 ALTERNATE  LOCATION  TO  BE USED FOR VOTER REGISTRATION AND AS A POLLING
 PLACE. Such polling places must be designated  by  May  first,  of  each
 year,  and  shall  be  effective  for  one  year thereafter. Such a list
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD08561-01-7

 A. 4565                             2
 
 required to be submitted by a village board of trustees must be  submit-
 ted  at least four months before each general village election and shall
 be effective until four months before  the  subsequent  general  village
 election. No place in which a business licensed to sell alcoholic bever-
 ages for on premises consumption is conducted on any day of local regis-
 tration  or  of voting shall be so designated. If, within the discretion
 of the board of elections a particular polling place  so  designated  is
 subsequently  found  to  be unsuitable or unsafe or should circumstances
 arise that make a designated polling place unsuitable  or  unsafe,  then
 the  board  of  elections  is empowered to select an alternative meeting
 place. In the city of New York, the board of elections  shall  designate
 such  polling  places  and  alternate registration places if the polling
 place cannot be used for voter registration on Saturdays.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.