NY State Senate Bill S1550

Current 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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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 13, 2021	referred to elections

S1550 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Elections
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §8-600, El L

S1550 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Increases the number of days permitted for early voting; permits early voting beginning on the seventeenth day prior to any general, primary, run-off primary or special election.

S1550 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

 
BILL NUMBER: S1550

SPONSOR: KENNEDY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the election law, in relation to increasing the number
of days permitted for early voting

 
PURPOSE:

To expand, by one week, the time in which early voting occurs prior to
any general, primary, run-off primary, or special election.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends subdivision 1 or section 8-600 of the election law, to
start early voting seventeen days prior to an election, and ending two
days prior to an election.

Section two sets the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The 2020 General Election saw over 2.2 million New Yorkers cast an
in-person, early vote ahead of election day, an all time record.'
Voters, concerned with a pandemic and the possibility of long lines on
election day, saw early voting as an opportunity to cast their vote in a
machine without the lines that often appear on election day.

However, early voting proved so popular that many locations saw lines
that were hours long in places across the state - from New York City to
Putnam and Monroe Counties to the City of Buffalo.2 Turnout was driven
by many factors, including the ease of early voting, the pandemic, and
voters' lack of confidence that their mail in ballot would arrive in
time.

As a solution, one proposal would be to give more time for voters to
vote early, so if they arrive at a polling place and face a long line,
they have many other opportunities to vote. In the 2020 General
Election, Michigan began early voting 45 days prior to the election,
Georgia started 22 days prior, and California started 29 days prior.3
New York's existing law, however, only permits 9 days of early voting. A
Buffalo News editorial after the 2020 General Election noted the
outbreak of COVID-19 from an early voting location in New York, and as a
solution suggested expanding the number of days of early voting so
voters would be confident they still had time to vote if a line was too
long.4 Additionally, the 2020 General Election saw record turnout, also
driven by the ease of early voting.  This shows that expanding early
voting is both a safe choice, and practical one. By starting early
voting 17 days, instead of 10 days, prior to an election, New Yorkers
will have an additional week to vote early.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: New Bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: TBD

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:  This act shall take effect immediately.
(1)https://apnews.com/article/virus- outbreak-new-york-new-york-city-
electio ns-voting-2020- 67bf8a18a30f873e4fdedde46cf3d17a
(2)https://www.lohud.com/storyinews/2020/10/29/
new-york-early-voting-long-lines/6054444002/
(3)https:llbuffalonews.com/opinionieditorial/ the-editorial-board-ham-
burg-s-infection-rate-
offers-evidence-ofalbany-s-error-in-limiting/article_69
ed6540-2e88-11eb-92c11-173d8fe996el.html
(4)https://buffalonews.com/opinioni editorial/the-editorial-board-
hamburg-s- infection-rate-offers-evidence-ofalbany-s-
error-in-limitinearticle69ed 6540-2e88- 11eb-92df-173d8fe996el.html

S1550 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1550
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 13, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. KENNEDY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections
 
 AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to increasing  the  number
   of days permitted for early voting
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 8-600  of  the  election  law,  as
 added by chapter 6 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  Beginning the [tenth] SEVENTEENTH day prior to any general, prima-
 ry, run-off primary pursuant to subdivision one of section 6-162 of this
 chapter or special election for any public or party position except  for
 such  an  election  held pursuant to title two of article six or article
 fifteen of this chapter, and ending on  and  including  the  second  day
 prior  to such general, primary, run-off primary or special election for
 such public office or party position, persons duly registered and eligi-
 ble to vote at such election shall be permitted to vote as  provided  in
 this  title.  The board of elections shall establish procedures, subject
 to approval of the state board of elections, to ensure that persons  who
 vote  during  the  early  voting  period  shall not be permitted to vote
 subsequently in the same election.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07963-01-1

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The New York State Senate

senate Bill S1550

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

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S1550 (ACTIVE) - Details

S1550 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S1550 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S1550 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

senate Bill S1550

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Sponsored By

Timothy M. Kennedy

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

Your Voice

Actions

S1550 (ACTIVE) - Details

S1550 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S1550 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S1550 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments