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Senate Bill S7855

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Requires polls for special town elections to open on otherwise scheduled general election days

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Local Government Committee

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2023-S7855 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Senate Local Government
Law Section:
Town Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §82, Town L
Versions Introduced in 2025-2026 Legislative Session:
S1098

2023-S7855 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires polls for special town elections to open on otherwise scheduled general election days, as designated by the state board of elections.

2023-S7855 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S7855 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7855
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 3, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  MAY  --  read  twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government
 
 AN ACT to amend the town law, in relation to requiring polls for special
   town elections to open on otherwise scheduled general election days
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1.  Section  82 of the town law, as amended by chapter 420 of
 the laws of 1963, is amended to read as follows:
   § 82. Notice of submission of proposition; hours of voting.  The  town
 board shall adopt a resolution at least twenty days before every special
 town election designating the hours of opening and closing the polls and
 the  place  or places of holding the election, and setting forth in full
 all propositions to be voted upon. If the  town  board  shall  designate
 more  than  one  voting place, the resolution and the notice hereinafter
 provided for shall specify the place at which the  qualified  voters  of
 each election district shall vote.  The polls shall BE OPEN ON AN OTHER-
 WISE  SCHEDULED  GENERAL  ELECTION  DAY, DESIGNATED AS SUCH BY THE STATE
 BOARD OF ELECTIONS, AND, IF NO OTHER ELECTION IS OCCURRING ON SUCH DATE,
 SHALL remain open for at  least  six  consecutive  hours  between  eight
 o'clock  in  the  forenoon  and eight o'clock in the evening. The voting
 upon a proposition shall be by ballot  and  each  proposition  submitted
 shall  be  separately  stated and numbered thereon. The town clerk shall
 give notice of such special town election at the expense of the town  by
 the  publication  of  a notice in a newspaper published in said town, if
 there be any, or, if there be none, in  a  newspaper  published  in  the
 county  having general circulation in the town, specifying the time when
 and place or places where such election will be held, the  hours  during
 which  the  polls will remain open for the purpose of receiving ballots,
 and setting forth in full all propositions to be voted upon.  The  first
 publication  of such notice shall be at least ten days prior to the time
 of such special election. In addition, the  town  clerk  shall  post  or
 cause  to  be posted a copy of such notice on the sign-board of the town
 maintained pursuant to subdivision six of section thirty of this chapter
 at least ten days prior to such election. In the  event  that  any  such
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

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