NY State Senate Bill 2021-S630

Archive: Last Bill Status - Stricken

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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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 06, 2021	recommit, enacting clause stricken referred to elections

co-Sponsors

2021-S630 (ACTIVE) - Details

Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Add §8-414, El L

2021-S630 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires the boards of elections to provide a secure website or web portal through which voters can track their absentee application or absentee ballot.

2021-S630 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S630

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the election law, in relation to absentee ballot track-
ing

 
PURPOSE:

Require the State Board of Elections to provide a secure website through
which all New Yorkers can clearly and transparently track their own
absentee ballot every step of the process from the moment the original
request is received, approved, mailed or delivered to the voter,
received a completed ballot back and the actual counting of the vote.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

This bill amends election law by adding a new section 8-414 relating to
The State Board of Elections setting up and maintaining a robust and
meaningful absentee ballot tracking website where voters can track their

own information and the required details to be available through that
website.

Furthermore, this bill requires necessary data transmission from Local
Boards of Election to the State Board to carry out the mission of this
bill.
In addition, the legislation makes clear that the tracking information
shall be available only for individuals voters to track their own infor-
mation.  County Board of Elections and the NYC Board of Elections are
permitted to establish absentee ballot tracking systems until such time
as the statewide system is up and running.

Lastly, the effective date is provided for-the first of January next
succeeding enactment-and allows the State Board to implement necessary
rules and regulations immediately.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The very means and nature of voting is rapidly changing in New York and
across the nation. Absentee, Early and Full Fledged Vote By Mail are
becoming the predominate norm, not the exception. As such, it is makes
total sense that the State Board Of Elections should maintain a dynamic,
transparent, and user-friendly website where voters may track their
ballot every step of the way- from the moment the original request is
received, approved, mailed or delivered to the voter, received a
completed ballot back and the actual counting of the vote. Our democracy
demands this important level of accountability and certainty that the
franchise is executed properly.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2017-18: S.5184 I Referred to Elections
2019-20: S.2768/A.10724 (Dinowitz) I Referred to Elections

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None Noted.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
First of January next succeeding enactment.

2021-S630 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    630
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 6, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sens. COMRIE, BIAGGI, LIU -- read twice and ordered print-
   ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections
 
 AN  ACT to amend the election law, in relation to absentee ballot track-
   ing

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The election law is amended by adding a new section 8-414
 to read as follows:
   § 8-414. ABSENTEE BALLOT TRACKING. 1.   THE STATE BOARD  OF  ELECTIONS
 SHALL  ESTABLISH  AND  MAINTAIN  AN  ELECTRONIC ABSENTEE BALLOT TRACKING
 SYSTEM BY WAY OF A SECURE WEBSITE OR WEB PORTAL THROUGH WHICH ANY REGIS-
 TERED VOTER IN THE STATE WHO HAS SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION FOR AN  ABSEN-
 TEE  BALLOT, OR WHO OTHERWISE HAS A RIGHT TO RECEIVE AN ABSENTEE BALLOT,
 FOR AN UPCOMING ELECTION PURSUANT TO THIS CHAPTER MAY VIEW  THE  CURRENT
 STATUS  OF  THEIR  ABSENTEE APPLICATION OR ABSENTEE BALLOT. SUCH WEBSITE
 SHALL NOT REQUIRE USERS TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT. SUCH WEBSITE  SHALL  INDI-
 CATE FOR EACH SUCH VOTER WHETHER THE VOTER'S BOARD OF ELECTIONS HAS:
   A.  RECEIVED  SUCH VOTER'S REQUEST FOR AN ABSENTEE BALLOT, IF APPLICA-
 BLE;
   B. APPROVED OR REJECTED SUCH REQUEST, IF APPLICABLE, AND, IF REJECTED,
 A BRIEF STATEMENT OF THE REASON FOR REJECTION;
   C. MAILED OR DELIVERED AN ABSENTEE  BALLOT  TO  SUCH  VOTER  FOR  SUCH
 UPCOMING ELECTION;
   D.  RECEIVED  SUCH VOTER'S COMPLETED ABSENTEE BALLOT FOR SUCH UPCOMING
 ELECTION; AND
   E. COUNTED OR REJECTED SUCH VOTER'S COMPLETED ABSENTEE BALLOT FOR SUCH
 UPCOMING ELECTION, AND, IF REJECTED, A BRIEF STATEMENT OF THE REASON FOR
 REJECTION.
   2. EACH COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS SHALL TRANSMIT ELECTRONICALLY  IN  A
 FORMAT  AND  TIMEFRAME TO BE DETERMINED BY THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS,
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD06981-02-1

 S. 630                              2
 
 THE DATA REQUIRED BY THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS  TO  BE  FURNISHED  TO
 EFFECTUATE THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SECTION.
   3. THE ABSENTEE BALLOT TRACKING WEBSITE OR PORTAL PROVIDED FOR BY THIS
 SECTION SHALL BE USED TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO A VOTER SEEKING INFORMA-
 TION  ABOUT THE VOTER'S OWN BALLOT AND SHALL NOT BE USED TO PROVIDE SUCH
 INFORMATION TO OTHERS.
   4. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF  THIS  SECTION,  ANY  COUNTY
 BOARD OF ELECTIONS OR THE BOARD OF THE ELECTIONS OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
 MAY ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN AN ELECTRONIC ABSENTEE BALLOT TRACKING SYSTEM
 BY  WAY OF A SECURE WEBSITE OR WEB PORTAL FOR ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICANTS
 WHO ARE RESIDENTS OF THE RESPECTIVE COUNTY OR CITY  OF  NEW  YORK.  SUCH
 SYSTEM  MAY  BE ESTABLISHED AND MAINTAINED UNTIL THE DATE THAT THE STATE
 BOARD OF ELECTIONS ABSENTEE BALLOT TRACKING SYSTEM  IS  OPERATIONAL  AND
 ACCESSIBLE PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION.
   § 2.  This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
 ing  the date on which it shall have become a law.  Effective immediate-
 ly, the state board of elections shall be authorized to implement neces-
 sary rules and regulations and to take steps required to implement  this
 act;  and  the  county boards of elections or the board of elections for
 the city of New York may establish and maintain an  electronic  absentee
 ballot tracking system pursuant to section one of this act.

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Senate Bill S630

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Archive: Last Bill Status - Stricken

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co-Sponsors

2021-S630 (ACTIVE) - Details

2021-S630 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2021-S630 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2021-S630 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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Sponsored By

Leroy Comrie

Archive: Last Bill Status - Stricken

Actions

co-Sponsors

Alessandra Biaggi

John C. Liu

2021-S630 (ACTIVE) - Details

2021-S630 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2021-S630 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2021-S630 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments