Senate Bill S1447A

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Relates to primary elections in the city of New York; repealer

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Sponsored By

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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Bill Amendments

2019-S1447 - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A8370
Current Committee:
Senate Elections
Law Section:
Election Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §6-162, El L; rpld §3-705 sub 5, §3-709 sub 6, NYC Ad Cd
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2013-2014: S7033
2015-2016: S3800
2017-2018: S4110
2021-2022: S2625, A541
2023-2024: S6990

2019-S1447 - Summary

Requires that elections for municipal office in the city of New York shall use an "instant run-off" or "ranked choice" voting system.

2019-S1447 - Sponsor Memo

2019-S1447 - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1447
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 14, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. SANDERS -- 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  enacting  the  "NYC
   instant  run-off  voting  act"; and to repeal subdivision 5 of section
   3-705 and subdivision 6 of section 3-709 of the administrative code of
   the city of New York relating to certain run-off elections in the city
   of New York
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Short title.  This act shall be known and may be cited as
 the "NYC instant run-off voting act".
   § 2. Legislative findings. The legislature hereby finds  and  declares
 that  the  run-off system of voting in primary elections for the offices
 of mayor, comptroller and public advocate in New  York  city  is  unduly
 expensive  and  generates  an unacceptably low turnout of voters.  Addi-
 tionally, the absence of any run-off system at all for  the  offices  of
 borough  president  and  council member has resulted in candidates being
 elected with much less than a majority of the votes  cast,  and  signif-
 icantly  dilutes minority voting power when multiple minority candidates
 compete for the same office. In an "instant run-off" system, voters rank
 candidates by order of preference, and if no candidate receives a major-
 ity of first-place votes, the top two candidates have the votes of elim-
 inated candidates redistributed to them in order of each voter's prefer-
 ence. The candidate with the most votes after this "second round" is the
 winner. An instant run-off voting system eliminates the need for a cost-
 ly and sparsely attended second election, rewards candidates who broaden
 their appeal as widely as possible, and promotes minority representation
 by limiting the dilution of minority voting power when multiple minority
 candidates are on the ballot for the same office.
   § 3. Section 6-162 of the election law, as amended by chapter  424  of
 the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

co-Sponsors

2019-S1447A (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A8370
Current Committee:
Senate Elections
Law Section:
Election Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §6-162, El L; rpld §3-705 sub 5, §3-709 sub 6, NYC Ad Cd
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2013-2014: S7033
2015-2016: S3800
2017-2018: S4110
2021-2022: S2625, A541
2023-2024: S6990

2019-S1447A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires that elections for municipal office in the city of New York shall use an "instant run-off" or "ranked choice" voting system.

2019-S1447A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S1447A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  1447--A
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 14, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. SANDERS -- 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  primary  elections  in
   the city of New York; and to repeal subdivision 5 of section 3-705 and
   subdivision  6 of section 3-709 of the administrative code of the city
   of New York relating to certain run-off elections in the city  of  New
   York
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 6-162 of the election law, as  amended  by  chapter
 424 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
   § 6-162. [Primary; New York City, run-off. 1. In the city of New York,
 when  no  candidate  for  the  office of mayor, public advocate or comp-
 troller receives forty percent or more of the votes cast by the  members
 of  a  political  party for such office in a city-wide primary election,
 the board of elections of such city  shall  conduct  a  run-off  primary
 election  between  the  two  candidates receiving the greatest number of
 votes for the same office.
   2. In any jurisdiction that authorizes  a  run-off  election  after  a
 primary  election,  if  one of the two candidates receiving the greatest
 number of votes for the same  office  files  with  the  local  board  of
 elections  a  certificate of withdrawal within three days following such
 primary election, the board shall accept and certify the withdrawal  and
 declare  the  remaining candidate the winner and no such run-off primary
 election shall be held. Such certificate of withdrawal shall be in affi-
 davit  or  affirmation  form  as  determined  by  the  state  board   of
 elections.]  INSTANT  RUN-OFF  VOTING  IN  NEW  YORK CITY. ELECTIONS FOR
 MUNICIPAL OFFICE IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK SHALL USE AN "INSTANT  RUN-OFF"
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

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