NY State Senate Bill 2019-S6449

Senate Bill S6449

Signed By Governor

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Authorizes consolidation of certain voting districts with a small number of eligible voters

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status Via A3543 - Signed by Governor

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

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Oct 30, 2019	signed chap.438
Oct 21, 2019	delivered to governor
Jun 19, 2019	returned to assembly passed senate 3rd reading cal.1721 substituted for s6449
Jun 19, 2019	substituted by a3543 ordered to third reading cal.1721
Jun 11, 2019	referred to rules

Votes

- Jun 19, 2019 - Floor Vote
  A3543
  
  62
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Floor Vote: Jun 19, 2019
      
      aye (62)
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      Akshar
      
      Amedore
      
      Antonacci
      
      Bailey
      
      Benjamin
      
      Biaggi
      
      Boyle
      
      Breslin
      
      Brooks
      
      Carlucci
      
      Comrie
      
      Felder
      
      Flanagan
      
      Funke
      
      Gallivan
      
      Gaughran
      
      Gianaris
      
      Gounardes
      
      Griffo
      
      Harckham
      
      Helming
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Jackson
      
      Jacobs
      
      Jordan
      
      Kaminsky
      
      Kaplan
      
      Kavanagh
      
      Kennedy
      
      Krueger
      
      LaValle
      
      Lanza
      
      Little
      
      Liu
      
      Martinez
      
      May
      
      Mayer
      
      Metzger
      
      Montgomery
      
      Myrie
      
      O'Mara
      
      Ortt
      
      Parker
      
      Persaud
      
      Ramos
      
      Ranzenhofer
      
      Ritchie
      
      Rivera
      
      Robach
      
      Salazar
      
      Sanders Jr.
      
      Savino
      
      Sepúlveda
      
      Serino
      
      Serrano
      
      Seward
      
      Skoufis
      
      Stavisky
      
      Stewart-Cousins
      
      Tedisco
      
      Thomas
  Jun 19, 2019 - Rules Committee Vote
  S6449
  
  19
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Rules Committee Vote: Jun 19, 2019
      
      aye (19)
      
      Benjamin
      
      Breslin
      
      Comrie
      
      Flanagan
      
      Gianaris
      
      Griffo
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Kennedy
      
      Krueger
      
      LaValle
      
      Lanza
      
      Little
      
      Liu
      
      Martinez
      
      Parker
      
      Robach
      
      Savino
      
      Seward
      
      Stewart-Cousins

2019-S6449 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A3543
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §4-104, El L
Versions Introduced in 2017-2018 Legislative Session:: A11120

2019-S6449 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Authorizes consolidation of certain voting districts with a small number of eligible voters; such district must have fewer than ten eligible voters.

2019-S6449 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S6449

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the election law, in relation to authorizing consol-
idation of certain voting districts with a small number of eligible
voters

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To ensure the most efficient administration of election districts with
very few voters assigned.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of this bill amends subdivision 5 paragraph a of § 4-104 of
the election law to provide that if an election district contains fewer
than ten voters eligible to vote in such election then the normal limi-
tation of 500 maximum voters in a combined district shall not be appli-
cable.

Section 2 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

As a result of the 2012 and 2013 redistricting of Congressional, State
Legislative and city Council Districts, the Board of Elections in the
City of New York was mandated to draw approximately 250 newly created
election districts with 'zero eligible voters'. Many of these EDs
consist of empty tracts in the waters around the city, and likely never
will encompass registered voters. Part of the problem stems from the
inconsistency between the boundaries drawn for the Congressional, State,
and City Council districts and the boundaries established more than a
half century ago for municipal Court Districts which elect some of the
Judges of the Civil Court of New York.

Furthermore, some EDs contain fewer than ten eligible voters. However,
the election law as currently written requires these EDs to be assigned
to a poll site and boards of election may be unable to combine these EDs
with other EDs in those poll sites if the resulting election district
has more than 500 eligible voters. This requires significant expendi-
tures of public funds, both in terms of personnel and equipment to staff
and supply ED tables with few or zero voters. Therefore, enactment of
this bill is essential to provide boards of election with greater flexi-
bility to combine EDs and reduce costs to tax payers.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

A.11120 of 2017-18.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Reduced election administrative costs for Board of Election.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2019-S6449 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6449
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               June 11, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- 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  authorizing  consol-
   idation  of  certain  voting districts with a small number of eligible
   voters

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Paragraph  (a)  of  subdivision 5 of section 4-104 of the
 election law, as amended by chapter 95 of the laws of 1995,  is  amended
 to read as follows:
   (a)  Whenever  the number of voters eligible to vote in an election in
 any election district is less than one hundred, the polling place desig-
 nated for such district may be the polling place of any  other  district
 which  could  properly  be  designated as the polling place of the first
 mentioned district pursuant to the provisions of  this  chapter,  except
 that the polling place designated for any such district may be the poll-
 ing  place  of any other district in such city or town provided that the
 distance from such first mentioned district to  the  polling  place  for
 such other district is not unreasonable pursuant to rules or regulations
 prescribed  by  the state board of elections and provided that the total
 number of persons eligible to  vote  in  such  other  district  in  such
 election, including the persons eligible to vote in such first mentioned
 districts, is not more than five hundred. The inspectors of election and
 poll  clerks,  if any, of such other election district shall also act in
 all respects as the election officers for such first mentioned districts
 and no other inspectors shall be appointed to serve in or for such first
 mentioned districts. A separate poll ledger or computer generated regis-
 tration list, separate voting machine or ballots and separate canvass of
 results shall be provided for such  first  mentioned  districts,  except
 that if the candidates and ballot proposals to be voted on by the voters
 of such districts are the same, the election districts shall be combined
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD01996-01-9

 S. 6449                             2
 
 and  shall  constitute  a  single  election  district for that election.
 HOWEVER, IF THE FIRST MENTIONED DISTRICT CONTAINS FEWER THAN TEN  VOTERS
 ELIGIBLE  TO  VOTE IN SUCH ELECTION, THERE SHALL BE NO LIMITATION ON THE
 TOTAL  NUMBER  OF PERSONS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN SUCH COMBINED DISTRICT. If
 the polling place for any election district is moved for  any  election,
 pursuant  to  the provisions of this subdivision, the board of elections
 shall, not later than  ten  nor  more  than  fifteen  days  before  such
 election,  mail,  by first class mail, to each voter eligible to vote in
 such election district at such election,  a  notice  setting  forth  the
 location of the polling place for such election and specifying that such
 location is for such election only.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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