S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8668
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               May 27, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. WALKER -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Election Law
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend the public officers law, the second class cities law,
   the alternative county government law and the county law, in  relation
   to  requiring certain elections of public officials occur on even-num-
   bered years

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision 2 of section 4 of the public officers law, as
 amended by chapter 9 of the laws of 1978, is amended to read as follows:
   2. All terms of city officers, including supervisors, elected  in  any
 city  or part of a city, and of county officers in the city of New York,
 shall expire at the end of an [odd-numbered]  EVEN-NUMBERED  year.  Such
 officers  shall  be  elected,  except  to fill a vacancy, at the general
 election in [odd-numbered] EVEN-NUMBERED years.  [This subdivision shall
 not apply to any judicial officer.]
   § 2. Section 14 of the second class cities law is amended to  read  as
 follows:
   § 14. Elections. All elections of city officers, including supervisors
 and  judicial officers of a city court or inferior local court, shall be
 held on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday in November, and, except
 to fill vacancies, in an [odd-numbered]  EVEN-NUMBERED  year.  All  such
 elections  shall  be  held  at  the  same time and places as the general
 election held in such year, and shall be conducted in  all  respects  in
 the  same  manner  as  general  elections  in  cities are required to be
 conducted, and all the provisions of  law  relative  to  such  elections
 shall be applicable to the election for officers of the city. In case of
 the  failure  to  elect  an  elective  city officer, except as otherwise
 provided herein, the office shall be deemed to be vacant for the purpose
 of choosing a successor and the vacancy shall be filled  in  the  manner
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01365-01-5
 A. 8668                             2
              

 
 provided  herein  for  the filling of a vacancy in such office happening
 otherwise than by expiration of term.
   § 3. Subdivision 2 of section 300 of the alternative county government
 law is amended to read as follows:
   2. If the comptroller is elective, the first comptroller elected under
 the  form  adopted  shall be elected at the first general election after
 its adoption, except that, if the county has an elective county  auditor
 at  the time of such adoption, the first comptroller shall be elected at
 the general election in the last year of the term  of  the  last  county
 auditor  elected or, if the office of such auditor becomes vacant before
 the last year of [his] SUCH COMPTROLLER'S  term,  at  the  next  general
 election  thereafter  at which the vacancy may be filled by the election
 of a comptroller. The second comptroller shall be elected at the general
 election in the [second odd-numbered] FIRST EVEN-NUMBERED year after the
 year in which the first comptroller is  elected,  and  subsequent  comp-
 trollers  shall  be elected at the general election in every fourth year
 thereafter. The term of office of the comptroller shall  be  four  years
 from  and  including  the first day of January next following [his] SUCH
 election, except that the first comptroller elected shall  serve  for  a
 term  of three years if [he] THE COMPTROLLER is elected in an [even-num-
 bered] ODD-NUMBERED year. A vacancy in the office of an  elective  comp-
 troller  occurring  otherwise than by expiration of term shall be filled
 by appointment by the board of supervisors and the person  so  appointed
 shall  hold  office  until  the  commencement  of the calendar year next
 succeeding the first general  election  at  which  the  vacancy  may  be
 filled.
   §  4.  Subdivision  1  of section 400 of the county law, as amended by
 chapter 658 of the laws of 1985, is amended to read as follows:
   1. Elective.  There shall be elected a sheriff, county clerk, district
 attorney and county treasurer. Except in the county of  Lewis,  coroners
 shall  continue to be elected as now provided by law until the office is
 abolished or the number is  increased  or  diminished  pursuant  to  the
 provisions  of  this chapter. Unless otherwise provided in this chapter,
 the term of office of each such officer  shall  [continue  to  be  three
 years,  except that the terms of office of sheriff, county clerk, county
 treasurer and coroner shall] be four years from and including the  first
 day  of  January  next  succeeding  [his] SUCH OFFICER'S election. There
 shall be elected a county judge, surrogate,  and  judge  of  the  family
 court  as  now  or hereafter provided by law. The term of office of each
 such judicial officer shall be ten years from and  including  the  first
 day  of January next succeeding [his] SUCH OFFICER'S election. THE SHER-
 IFF, COUNTY CLERK, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, COUNTY TREASURER  AND  CORONER  OR
 MEDICAL  EXAMINER SHALL BE ELECTED AT A GENERAL ELECTION IN AN EVEN-NUM-
 BERED YEAR.
   § 5. Notwithstanding any provision of any general,  special  or  local
 law,  charter,  code,  ordinance,  resolution, rule or regulation to the
 contrary, an elected official subject to the  requirements  of  sections
 one,  two, three, or four of this act, elected and serving their term as
 of the effective date of this act shall  complete  their  full  term  as
 established  by law.   Provided, however, that if the completion of such
 full term results in the need for an election in  an  odd-numbered  year
 after  the  effective  date  of  this  act, the official elected at such
 election shall have their term expire as if such official  were  elected
 at  the  previous  general  election  held in the previous even-numbered
 year.
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   § 6. This act shall take effect on the  same  date  as  a  "CONCURRENT
 RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY proposing amendments to section 21
 of  article  6,  article 13, and section 6 of article 4 of the constitu-
 tion, in relation to requiring certain elections be  held  in  even-num-
 bered  years  at the general election", takes effect, in accordance with
 section 1 of article 19 of the constitution. Effective immediately,  the
 addition,  amendment  and/or  repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
 for the implementation of this act on its effective date are  authorized
 to be made and completed on or before such effective date.