NY State Senate Bill 2017-S473

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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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2018	referred to elections
Jan 04, 2017	referred to elections

2017-S473 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Elections
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§4-117 & 7-118, El L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2009-2010: S4083
2011-2012: S668
2013-2014: S46
2015-2016: S1344

2017-S473 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires the board of elections to provide a registered voter with a sample ballot not less than ten days nor more than twenty days before an election via mail.

2017-S473 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S473

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the election law, in relation to
requiring the board of elections to provide a registered voter with a
sample ballot prior to an election

 PURPOSE :

The purpose of this legislation is to give voters the opportunity to
view the actual ballot prior to going to their designated polling
site.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1 of the bill amends Section 4-117 of the election law by
adding a new subdivision 1-A to require the board of elections mail a
sample ballot not less than 10 days nor more than 20 days before
election day to every registered voter with active status. This
legislation allows for the Board of Elections to mail a single ballot
to a household containing more than one registered voter.

 EXISTING LAW :

Current law does not require that an actual sample ballot be mailed to
registered voters.

 JUSTIFICATION :

The importance of voting simply cannot be understated. As an essential
piece of our representative government, voting is a fundamental right
and is one of the most direct ways for individuals to influence
government decision-making. An individual's vote is critical to each
and every election, as many elections come down to each single vote
being counted.

As a Legislative Body representing all New Yorkers, we need to provide
every potential voter with the necessary information he or she might
need to cast their vote on election day. Quite often, depending on the
election year, ballots can be confusing to voters. By requiring a
sample ballot to be mailed prior to an election, we would be providing
critical information to help assist voters in researching and choosing
a candidate, as well as helping to reduce confusion for voters once
they step inside the booth.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

2015-2016-S.1344
2013-2014 - S.46
2011-12: S.668
2008 - Referred to Elections
2009 - Referred to Elections

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

To be determined.

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

2017-S473 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    473
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 4, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. PERALTA -- 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 requiring the board  of
   elections  to provide a registered voter with a sample ballot prior to
   an election

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  4-117 of the election law is amended by adding a
 new subdivision 1-a to read as follows:
   1-A. THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, NOT LESS THAN  TEN  DAYS  NOR  MORE  THAN
 TWENTY  DAYS  BEFORE THE DAY OF THE GENERAL ELECTION IN EACH YEAR, SHALL
 SEND BY FIRST CLASS  MAIL  ON  WHICH  IS  ENDORSED  "ADDRESS  CORRECTION
 REQUESTED"  AND WHICH CONTAINS A REQUEST THAT ANY SUCH MAIL RECEIVED FOR
 PERSONS NOT RESIDING AT THE ADDRESS BE  DROPPED  BACK  IN  THE  MAIL,  A
 SAMPLE BALLOT, AS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO SECTION 7-118 OF THIS CHAPTER, IN
 A  FORM  APPROVED  BY  THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, TO EVERY REGISTERED
 VOTER WHO HAS BEEN REGISTERED WITHOUT A  CHANGE  OF  ADDRESS  SINCE  THE
 BEGINNING  OF SUCH YEAR. THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS SHALL NOT BE REQUIRED TO
 SEND SUCH SAMPLE BALLOT TO VOTERS IN INACTIVE STATUS.  IN LIEU OF  SEND-
 ING  SUCH  COMMUNICATION  WITH  SUCH  SAMPLE  BALLOT TO EVERY REGISTERED
 VOTER, THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS MAY  SEND  A  SINGLE  COMMUNICATION  TO  A
 HOUSEHOLD  CONTAINING  MORE THAN ONE REGISTERED VOTER, PROVIDED THAT THE
 NAMES OF ALL SUCH VOTERS APPEAR AS PART OF THE ADDRESS ON SUCH  COMMUNI-
 CATION.
   §  2.  Section 7-118 of the election law, as amended by chapter 157 of
 the laws of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
   § 7-118. Ballots; facsimile and sample. The board of  elections  shall
 provide facsimile and sample ballots which shall be arranged in the form
 of  a  diagram  showing  such  part of the face of the voting machine as
 shall be in use at that election.  Such  facsimile  and  sample  ballots
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD00094-01-7

 S. 473                              2
 
 shall  be  either  in  full  or  reduced size and shall contain suitable
 illustrated directions for voting on the voting machine.  Such facsimile
 ballots shall be mounted and displayed for  public  inspection  at  each
 polling  place during election day. Sample ballots [may] SHALL be mailed
 by the board of elections to each eligible voter [at least  three  days]
 NOT  LESS  THAN TEN DAYS NOR MORE THAN TWENTY DAYS before the election[,
 or in lieu thereof, a copy of such sample ballot  may  be  published  at
 least  once within one week preceding the election in newspapers repres-
 enting the major political parties]. One copy of such facsimile shall be
 sent to each school in the  county,  providing  the  ninth  through  the
 twelfth  years  of  compulsory education, and in the city of New York to
 each such school in the city of New York, at least one week before  each
 general  election  for posting at a convenient place in such school. The
 board of elections shall also send  a  facsimile  ballot  to  any  other
 school requesting such a ballot.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of December next succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.

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Senate Bill S473

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

2017-S473 (ACTIVE) - Details

2017-S473 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2017-S473 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2017-S473 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S473

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Sponsored By

Jose Peralta

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

2017-S473 (ACTIVE) - Details

2017-S473 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2017-S473 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2017-S473 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments