NY State Senate Bill S3114

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

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

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Actions

view actions (2)

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 05, 2022	referred to elections
Jan 27, 2021	referred to elections

Co-Sponsors

S3114 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A4356
Current Committee:: Senate Elections
Law Section:: Elections
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2009-2010: S3590
2011-2012: S424
2013-2014: S3252
2015-2016: S2739
2017-2018: S4085
2019-2020: S4242, A7684
2023-2024: A335

S3114 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides for the state board of elections to undertake a study of the feasibility for voting by mail, telephone and/or the internet; authorizes a pilot program for such voting during the study; requires a report to the governor and legislature.

S3114 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

 
BILL NUMBER: S3114

SPONSOR: KRUEGER
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act providing for the state board of elections to undertake a study
on the feasibility of permitting voting by mail, telephone and/or the
internet and to establish pilot projects relating thereto

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill would require that the state board of elections do a study of
the feasibility of voting by mail, telephone and/or over the internet.
It would also empower it to establish pilot programs to evaluate the
feasibility of any of these methods of voting.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 mandates that the state board of elections undertake a study
of the feasibility of voting by mail, telephone and/or over the inter-
net, that such a study may include pilot programs of each method, and

that it report to the legislature and the governor the results of the
study along with recommendations.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

One of the primary goals of any representative form of government should
be to have every eligible voter participate. While attaining such a goal
may be a practical impossibility, the legislature must find ways to
increase voter turnout. That is especially true given the serious
decline in turnout over the past four decades in New York State. In the
November 2020 election, New York State ranked 30th in the nation when
only 65.3% of eligible voters casting a ballot according to U.S.
Elections Project statistics. New York's ranking as of 2015 was 46th in
the nation. Since the 1956 election, the percentage of registered voters
who cast ballots has decreased from over 93% to a low of 33.2% in 2014.
While November 2020 election results did show a surge in turnout, these
numbers still lag behind historic high turnouts realized in past
decades. The 2018 election turnout results indicated that almost 50% of
active voters cast ballots in congressional and state legislative races,
as well as the governor's race. However, voter turnout has been as high
as 74% during the 1974 governor's race.

New York has taken steps to increase voting through enacting early
voting, increasing poll sites, and beginning the process of amending the
State Constitution to allow for 'no excuse absentee voting.' This bill
would require the board of elections to examine the possibility of using
mail, telephone and internet voting. Given the constantly low rates of
voter participation in the electoral process, the state should examine
these and other methods of increasing voter turnout.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Minimal.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2019-20 S4242/A7684 - died in committee

2017-18 S54085 No Same As - died in committee

2015-16 S2739 No Same As - died in committee

2013-14 S53252 Same as A3188 Brennan - died in committee

2011-12 S5424 Same As A 5204 notice of consideration, discharged to
rules 2009-10553590 Same As A 6716 Brennan - died in committee

2007-08 S54750 Same As A 7925 Brennan - died in committee

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

S3114 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3114
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 27, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sens. KRUEGER, BAILEY, HOYLMAN, LIU, SERRANO -- read twice
   and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee
   on Elections
 
 AN  ACT  providing for the state board of elections to undertake a study
   on the feasibility of permitting voting by mail, telephone and/or  the
   internet and to establish pilot projects relating thereto
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The state board of elections shall undertake a study on the
 feasibility of permitting voting by mail, telephone and/or the internet.
 Such study shall include but not be limited to evaluation of the ability
 of verifying votes by mail, telephone and/or the internet and the impact
 on the number of the electorate voting in primary and general elections.
 Notwithstanding any other provision of  law  to  the  contrary,  at  any
 primary  or  general  election during the undertaking of such study, the
 state board of elections may provide a pilot program  permitting  voting
 by  mail,  telephone  and/or the internet.  The state board of elections
 shall submit such study including recommendations to  the  governor  and
 state  legislature  within  twenty-four  months of the effective date of
 this act.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07323-01-1

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The New York State Senate

senate Bill S3114

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

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Co-Sponsors

S3114 (ACTIVE) - Details

S3114 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S3114 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S3114 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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senate Bill S3114

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Sponsored By

Liz Krueger

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

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Co-Sponsors

Jamaal T. Bailey

Brad Hoylman-Sigal

John C. Liu

José M. Serrano

S3114 (ACTIVE) - Details

S3114 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S3114 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S3114 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments