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Assembly Bill A11615

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to the validity of ballots

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Current Bill Status - In Assembly Committee

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2025-A11615 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Assembly Election Law
Law Section:
Election Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §9-112, El L

2025-A11615 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides that tearing a ballot does not render it void.

2025-A11615 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   11615
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               July 29, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Jacobson) --
   read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
 
 AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to the validity of ballots
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 9-112  of  the  election  law,  as
 amended  by  chapter  334  of  the  laws  of 2013, is amended to read as
 follows:
   1. The whole ballot is void if the voter (a) does any act extrinsic to
 the ballot such as enclosing any paper or other article  in  the  folded
 ballot  or  (b)  defaces [or tears] the ballot except that a ballot card
 which is in perforated sections shall not be void because  it  has  been
 separated  into  sections  or (c) makes any erasure thereon or (d) makes
 any mark thereon other than a cross X mark or a check V mark in a voting
 square, or filling in the voting square, or (e) writes,  other  than  in
 the  space  provided,  a  name for the purpose of voting; except that an
 erasure or a mark other than a valid mark made in a voting square  shall
 not  make  the  ballot void, but shall render it blank as to the office,
 party position or ballot proposal in connection with which it  is  made.
 No ballot shall be declared void or partially blank because a mark ther-
 eon  is  irregular  in  form. The term "voting square" shall include the
 voting space provided for a voter to mark [his or her] THEIR vote for  a
 candidate or ballot proposal.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD15487-01-6

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