S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  7426--A
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 24, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  THOMAS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections  --  recommitted
   to the Committee on Elections in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8
   -- reported favorably from said committee and committed to the Commit-
   tee   on  Finance  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered
   reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation  to  requiring  state  and
   county boards of elections to post sample ballots
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1.  Subdivision 3 of section 7-118 of  the  election  law,  as
 separately  amended  by  chapters  410  and  411 of the laws of 2019, is
 amended to read as follows:
   3. Sample ballots may be mailed by the  board  of  elections  to  each
 eligible  voter  at  least  three  days before the [election, or in lieu
 thereof, a copy of such sample ballot may be  published  at  least  once
 within  one  week  preceding  the election in newspapers or on a website
 maintained by the board of elections] FIRST DAY OF EARLY VOTING.    Each
 county  board  of elections shall transmit electronically in a format to
 be determined by the state board of elections, as  it  is  available,  a
 copy  [of the candidate and contest information contained on each of its
 ballot styles] OF A SAMPLE BALLOT FOR ALL ELECTION DISTRICTS WITHIN THAT
 COUNTY to the state board of elections. [The state board shall create  a
 system  to  allow such information to be made publicly available via its
 website, as well as the website of any county board of elections, and in
 such a way as to be accessible with a computer screen-reading program.]
   § 2. Section 7-118 of the election law is amended by  adding  two  new
 subdivisions 3-a and 3-b to read as follows:
   3-A.  THE  BOARD  OF  ELECTIONS  SHALL  POST  A SAMPLE BALLOT FOR EACH
 ELECTION DISTRICT IN THE STATE ON THE BOARD'S WEBSITE  AT  LEAST  TWELVE
 DAYS  PRIOR  TO THE FIRST DAY OF EARLY VOTING. THE BOARD SHALL POST SUCH
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD03384-07-4
              

 S. 7426--A                          2
 
 SAMPLE BALLOTS IN A SEARCHABLE DATABASE WHICH ALLOWS  VOTERS  TO  OBTAIN
 POLLING SITE INFORMATION, VOTER DISTRICT INFORMATION AND A SAMPLE BALLOT
 THAT  SUCH  VOTER SHALL BE ELIGIBLE TO CAST AT THE NEXT ELECTION. SAMPLE
 BALLOTS  SHALL  HAVE  AN IMBEDDED SECURITY TOOL TO PREVENT TAMPERING AND
 PRINTING OF SUCH SAMPLE BALLOTS.
   3-B. EACH COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS MAY POST A SAMPLE BALLOT FOR  EACH
 ELECTION  DISTRICT  WITHIN THAT COUNTY AT LEAST TWELVE DAYS PRIOR TO THE
 FIRST DAY OF EARLY VOTING. A COUNTY BOARD THAT POSTS SUCH SAMPLE BALLOTS
 SHALL DO SO IN A SEARCHABLE DATABASE THAT ALLOWS VOTERS TO OBTAIN  POLL-
 ING SITE INFORMATION AND A SAMPLE BALLOT THAT SUCH VOTER SHALL BE ELIGI-
 BLE  TO  CAST  IN  THE  NEXT ELECTION. SUCH SAMPLE BALLOTS SHALL HAVE AN
 IMBEDDED SECURITY TOOL TO PREVENT TAMPERING AND PRINTING OF SUCH BALLOT.
 SUCH COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS MAY ALSO REFER  TO  THE  STATE  BOARD  OF
 ELECTIONS'  WEBSITE  FOR  SUCH  INFORMATION  TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO
 SUBDIVISION THREE-A OF THIS SECTION.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
 have become a law.