NY State Senate Bill S6930

Archive: Last Bill Status - Passed Senate

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

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Actions

view actions (7)

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 09, 2020	referred to election law delivered to assembly passed senate ordered to third reading cal.9 reported and committed to rules
Jan 08, 2020	referred to elections
Dec 30, 2019	referred to rules

Votes

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Jan 9, 2020 - floor Vote

S6930

floor

Aye

Nay

Absent

Excused

Abstained

Jan 9, 2020 - Elections committee Vote

S6930

committee

Aye

Nay

Aye with Reservations

Absent

Excused

Abstained

show Elections committee vote details

Elections Committee Vote: Jan 9, 2020

aye (5)

aye wr (2)

Jan 9, 2020 - Rules committee Vote

S6930

committee

Aye

Nay

Aye with Reservations

Absent

Excused

Abstained

Jan 8, 2020 - floor Vote

S6930

floor

Aye

Nay

Absent

Excused

Abstained

Co-Sponsors

S6930 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9655
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §4-104, El L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S1039, A7580
2023-2024: S1148

S6930 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to designating early polling places.

S6930 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

 
BILL NUMBER: S6930

SPONSOR: KRUEGER
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the election law, in relation to designating early poll-
ing places

 
PURPOSE:

This bill provides that public schools shall not be designated as early
voting polling sites.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends § 4-104 of the Election Law to provide that public
buildings shall be designated as polling places to the extent practica-
ble, however in no case shall a public school be designated as an early
voting polling location. If additional polling places are needed, a
building exempt from taxation or owned by an entity receiving more than
one millions dollars in annual state grant funding shall be used as a

polling place unless the owner demonstrates that the entity's function
is significantly incompatible with operating as a polling place.

This section also repeals the prohibition of designating a polling site
at a location where there is a business licensed to sell alcoholic
beverages for on premises consumption.

Section 2: The act shall take effect immediately.

 
EXISTING LAW:

Under current law, there is no restriction on placing early voting poll-
ing sites at public schools. On the contrary, the law provides that if a
board chooses a public school building for a polling place, without
distinction for whether it is for early voting or on Election Day, the
board or agency controlling the school building must make the building
available. In addition, current law prohibits polling places from being
placed where alcohol is also being sold on the premises.

 
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.

Following analysis of early voting polling site locations in the 2019
election cycle, there were concerns voiced about the continued use of
schools as early voting polling places. While schools are normally
closed during Election Day, schools are not closed during the days of
early voting. This creates logistical and security concerns and disrupts
the school day. In addition, vital areas of a public school such as
cafeterias and gymnasiums become unavailable to students during this
time, which can occur multiple times a year due to primary, general, and
special elections.

A vast majority of early voting sites were not at public schools but
rather colleges, community centers, and museums. Only one locality
outside of the City of New York used public schools as polling places,
and none of the polling places in the borough of Queens were public
schools.

The prohibition on placing polling sites on the same premises as alcohol
being sold is repealed in order to expand the types of sites available
for early voting in light of the restriction on placement at public
schools.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

S6930 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6930
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             December 30, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. KRUEGER -- 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 designating early poll-
   ing places
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1. Subdivisions 1 and 3 of section 4-104 of the election law,
 subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 5 of the laws of 2019  and  subdivi-
 sion  3  as  amended  by chapter 694 of the laws of 1989, are 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. Such polling places must  be
 designated  by March fifteenth, of each year, and shall be effective for
 one year thereafter. Such a list required to be submitted by  a  village
 board  of  trustees  must  be submitted 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  beverages  for on premises consumption is
 conducted on any day of local registration or  of  voting  shall  be  so

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD14571-01-9

 S. 6930                             2

 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 desig-
 nated 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.
   3. A BOARD OR BODY EMPOWERED TO DESIGNATE POLLING PLACES SHALL  DESIG-
 NATE  ANY  PUBLIC BUILDING AS A POLLING PLACE TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE,
 PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT IN NO CASE SHALL A  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  BUILDING  BE
 DESIGNATED  AS  AN  EARLY VOTING POLLING LOCATION. IF ADDITIONAL POLLING
 PLACES SHALL BE NEEDED, A building exempt from taxation OR OWNED  BY  AN
 ENTITY  RECEIVING  MORE  THAN  ONE MILLION DOLLARS IN ANNUAL STATE GRANT
 FUNDING shall be used [whenever possible] as a polling place  if  it  is
 situated  in the same or a contiguous election district, and may contain
 as many distinctly separate polling places  as  public  convenience  may
 require, UNLESS THE OWNER OR OPERATOR OF SUCH BUILDING SHALL DEMONSTRATE
 THAT SUCH USE IS SIGNIFICANTLY INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE PRIMARY FUNCTION OF
 THE  ENTITY.  The  expense, if any, incidental to its use, shall be paid
 like the expense of other places of registration and voting. If a  board
 or  body  empowered  to designate polling places chooses a public school
 building for such purpose, the  board  or  agency  which  controls  such
 building  must make available a room or rooms in such building which are
 suitable for registration and voting and which are as close as  possible
 to  a  convenient  entrance to such building and must make available any
 such room or rooms which the board or  body  designating  such  building
 determines  are  accessible to physically disabled voters as provided in
 subdivision  one-a.  Notwithstanding  the  provisions  of  any  general,
 special  or local law, if a board or body empowered to designate polling
 places chooses a publicly owned or leased building, other than a  public
 school building, for such purposes the board or body which controls such
 building  must make available a room or rooms in such building which are
 suitable for registration and voting and which are as close as  possible
 to  a  convenient entrance to such building, and must make available any
 such room or rooms which the board or  body  designating  such  building
 determines  are  accessible  to  physically  disabled voters unless, not
 later than thirty days after notice of  its  designation  as  a  polling
 place,  the  board  or  body  controlling such building, files a written
 request for a cancellation of such designation with the  board  or  body
 empowered  to designate polling places on such form as shall be provided
 by the board  or  body  making  such  designation.  The  board  or  body
 empowered  to  so designate shall, within twenty days after such request
 is filed, determine whether the use of such building as a polling  place
 would unreasonably interfere with the usual activities conducted in such
 building and upon such determination, may cancel such designation.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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The New York State Senate

senate Bill S6930

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - Passed Senate

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Votes

Jan 9, 2020 - floor Vote

Floor Vote: Jan 9, 2020

Jan 9, 2020 - Elections committee Vote

Elections Committee Vote: Jan 9, 2020

Jan 9, 2020 - Rules committee Vote

Rules Committee Vote: Jan 9, 2020

Jan 8, 2020 - floor Vote

Floor Vote: Jan 8, 2020

Co-Sponsors

S6930 (ACTIVE) - Details

S6930 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S6930 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S6930 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

senate Bill S6930

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Archive: Last Bill Status - Passed Senate

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Votes

Jan 9, 2020 - floor Vote

Floor Vote: Jan 9, 2020

Jan 9, 2020 - Elections committee Vote

Elections Committee Vote: Jan 9, 2020

Jan 9, 2020 - Rules committee Vote

Rules Committee Vote: Jan 9, 2020

Jan 8, 2020 - floor Vote

Floor Vote: Jan 8, 2020

Co-Sponsors

S6930 (ACTIVE) - Details

S6930 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S6930 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S6930 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments