NY State Senate Bill S8782

Archive: Last Bill Status - Signed by Governor

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

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Actions

view actions (14)

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Dec 15, 2020	approval memo.48 signed chap.344
Dec 03, 2020	delivered to governor
Jul 23, 2020	returned to senate passed assembly ordered to third reading rules cal.359 substituted for a8610b
Jul 22, 2020	referred to ways and means delivered to assembly passed senate ordered to third reading cal.963
Jul 21, 2020	reported and committed to rules
Jul 15, 2020	committee discharged and committed to elections referred to rules

Votes

view votes

Jul 22, 2020 - floor Vote

S8782

floor

Aye

Nay

Absent

Excused

Abstained

Jul 22, 2020 - Rules committee Vote

S8782

committee

Aye

Nay

Aye with Reservations

Absent

Excused

Abstained

Jul 21, 2020 - Elections committee Vote

S8782

committee

Aye

Nay

Aye with Reservations

Absent

Excused

Abstained

show Elections committee vote details

Elections Committee Vote: Jul 21, 2020

aye (6)

nay (1)

Ritchie

Co-Sponsors

S8782 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8610
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §8-600, El L

S8782 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires municipalities with the highest population in each county to have at least one polling place designated for early voting.

S8782 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

 
BILL NUMBER: S8782

SPONSOR: BRESLIN
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the election law, in relation to requiring munici-
palities with the highest population in each county to have at least one
polling place designated for early voting

 
PURPOSE:

This bill amends previously enacted early voting provisions to provide
that, in each county, the largest municipality by population must
contain at least one early voting polling location.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends § 8-600 of the Election Law to provide that the muni-
cipality with the highest population in each county based on the latest
federal decennial census shall have at least one polling place desig-
nated for early voting, and to the extent practicable if such munici-

pality has public transportation routes, such polling place shall be
situated along such transportation routes.

Section 2: Effective date.

 
EXISTING LAW:

Currently, the board of elections in each county must designate early
voting locations. There must be at least one early voting location for
every full increment of 50,000 voters in each county, with a maximum
required number of locations in each county set at seven.  Polling plac-
es for early voting should be located so that voters in the county have
adequate and equitable access, taking into consideration population
density, travel time to the polling place, proximity to other early
voting poll sites, public transportation routes, commuter traffic
patterns, and other such factors the board of elections deems appropri-
ate.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In 2019, New York state lawmakers took historic steps in approving a
series of reforms intended to make New York's voting process easier,
more efficient, more transparent, and more accountable to its citizens.
Among these reforms were the scheduling of state and federal primaries
on the same day, automatic updating of voters' registrations when they
move, preregistration of those ages 16 and 17 prior to an election in
which they will be eligible to vote, and requirements that established
10 days of early voting which includes two full weekends prior to
elections.

With regard to early voting, the intent of the legislature was to
provide a flexible timeline within which voters can cast their ballots,
taking into account the reality that voters often have busy schedules,
vacations, and family obligations that can get in the way of voting on
election day. Early voting provides flexibility and a longer voting
process that encourages civic involvement by New York's citizens.


Key components of ensuring the success and accessibility of early voting
are the location and number of polling sites. The original legislation,
passed in 2019, set a minimum threshold for the number of polling
locations, with one polling location required for each 50,000 voters.
The legislature was also careful to include provisions stating that when
siting polling locations, boards of elections should take into account
population density, travel time, and public transportation routes. These
provisions recognize that inaccessibility to early voting polling
locations will severely undermine the entire utility of the program for
New York's voters.  It has come to the attention of the sponsor that in
at least one county in the state, the intent of these provisions has
been disregarded, with polling locations being sited outside the coun-
ty's largest municipality and urban center. The sites of the polling
locations do not lend adequate and equitable access to the polls for the
county's urban voters, as they are located a significant distance
outside the county's largest city. Many urban voters, due to population
density, utilize public transportation and will not have adequate and
equitable access to the polling locations established in such county;
these voters are effectively being disenfranchised from New York's early
voting system.

In every county across the state, urban locations and cities should be
equally represented and given the opportunity to express their voting
preferences. This bill seeks to remedy this shortfall in the original
legislation by clarifying that, in each county, at least one polling
place must be located in the largest municipality of that county. In
addition, if such municipality has public transportation lines, the
polling location must be along such public transportation lines, to
ensure that users of public transportation have equal access to the
polling location. This legislation will ultimately ensure that the most
populated city in each county is provided with early voting, thus
preventing disenfranchisement, whether unintentional or deliberate, of
urban voters and users of public transportation.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

There is no cost to the state.

 
LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:  None; this bill will not alter the number
of required polling locations, rather it further clarifies where such
polling places must be located.

S8782 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8782
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               July 15, 2020
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. BRESLIN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the election  law,  in  relation  to  requiring  munici-
   palities  with  the highest population in each county to have at least
   one polling place designated for early voting
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Paragraph  (a)  of  subdivision 2 of section 8-600 of the
 election law, as added by chapter 6 of the laws of 2019, is  amended  to
 read as follows:
   (a)  The  board  of elections shall designate polling places for early
 voting, which may include the offices of the  board  of  elections,  for
 persons  to  vote  early pursuant to this title; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT
 THE MUNICIPALITY WITH THE HIGHEST POPULATION IN EACH COUNTY BASED ON THE
 LATEST FEDERAL DECENNIAL CENSUS SHALL HAVE AT LEAST  ONE  POLLING  PLACE
 DESIGNATED FOR EARLY VOTING, AND TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE IF SUCH MUNI-
 CIPALITY  HAS  PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ROUTES, SUCH POLLING PLACE SHALL BE
 SITUATED ALONG SUCH TRANSPORTATION ROUTES. There shall be so  designated
 at  least  one  early  voting  polling place for every full increment of
 fifty thousand registered voters in each county; provided, however,  the
 number  of early voting polling places in a county shall not be required
 to be greater than [seven] TEN UNLESS REQUIRED BY ANY OTHER PROVISION OF
 LAW, and a county with fewer than fifty thousand voters  shall  have  at
 least one early voting polling place.
   § 2. This act shall take effect January 1, 2021.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13799-06-0

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The New York State Senate

senate Bill S8782

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - Signed by Governor

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Votes

Jul 22, 2020 - floor Vote

Floor Vote: Jul 22, 2020

Jul 22, 2020 - Rules committee Vote

Rules Committee Vote: Jul 22, 2020

Jul 21, 2020 - Elections committee Vote

Elections Committee Vote: Jul 21, 2020

Co-Sponsors

S8782 (ACTIVE) - Details

S8782 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S8782 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S8782 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

senate Bill S8782

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Sponsored By

Neil D. Breslin

Archive: Last Bill Status - Signed by Governor

Your Voice

Actions

Votes

Jul 22, 2020 - floor Vote

Floor Vote: Jul 22, 2020

Jul 22, 2020 - Rules committee Vote

Rules Committee Vote: Jul 22, 2020

Jul 21, 2020 - Elections committee Vote

Elections Committee Vote: Jul 21, 2020

Co-Sponsors

Alessandra Biaggi

James Gaughran

John C. Liu

Rachel May

S8782 (ACTIVE) - Details

S8782 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S8782 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S8782 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments