NY State Senate Bill 2025-S7401

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

Please enter your contact information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

A valid email address is required.

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Apr 15, 2025	referred to elections

2025-S7401 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A583
Current Committee:: Senate Elections
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Add §6-127, El L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2017-2018: A10912
2019-2020: A1766
2021-2022: A1449
2023-2024: S8446, A253

2025-S7401 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to party nominations for candidates for office, excluding counties located within cities with a population of one million or more.

2025-S7401 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7401

SPONSOR: RYAN C
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the election law, in relation to county committee desig-
nations of candidates for certain offices

 
PURPOSE:

To provide that party designation of candidates for nomination for
certain offices shall be made by county committee and eliminate unneces-
sary petitioning for designated candidates.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends election law to add a new section 6-127 that outlines
the process by which county committees may designate candidates for
nomination for certain offices, not including any office whose electoral
district intersects with a county located within a city having a popu-
lation greater than 1 million. This process will allow candidates
receiving a majority of the weighted vote of eligible county committee

members to be placed on the primary ballot without petitioning. Addi-
tionally, candidates who receive at least 25% of the weighted committee
vote will be granted access to the primary ballot. Candidates will also
still be able access the primary ballot by gathering petitions.

Section 2: Establishes the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Under New York State Election Law, individuals who desire to run for
political office are required to obtain signed petitions in a burdensome
petitioning process in order to qualify to appear on the ballot. The
process of gathering these signatures takes extensive time, effort and
resources. The goal of getting candidates on the ballot can be accom-
plished more efficiently by removing the burden of gathering petition
signatures for those candidates who are designated by their parties.
This legislation would give parties the option of eliminating the need
to circulate petitions for their own designated candidates.

Recent events have made the need for these changes more urgent. Moving
the petitioning period from early summer to winter, along with increased
political polarization, has made the process more onerous, and, in some
cases, even dangerous. In a recent election, someone circulating a peti-
tion had a gun drawn on them when they mistakenly went to the wrong
address.

The difficulty of the petitioning process is having a particularly
strong negative impact on civic and political engagement in rural areas.
Many rural party committees are finding it almost impossible to recruit
new committee members due to the expectation that committee members help
fulfill burdensome petitioning requirements.  As a consequence, many
candidates face no opposition from the other major party in rural
districts. Creating an alternate mechanism for candidates to access the
ballot will, therefore, promote more competitive elections. In fairness
to primary challengers, this legislation borrows from the statute for
statewide elected officials whereby candidates who receive at least 25%-
of the vote at the convention are also placed on the primary ballot.
Importantly, this bill does not eliminate prospective candidates' abili-
ty to gain access to the primary ballet through the standard petitioning
process.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-2024: A.253-B; 2021-2022:  A.1449; 2019-2020:  A.1725; 2018:
A.10912

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law.

2025-S7401 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7401
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              April 15, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. C. RYAN -- 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 county committee desig-
   nations of candidates for certain offices
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The election law is amended by adding a new section 6-127
 to read as follows:
   § 6-127. DESIGNATION BY COUNTY COMMITTEE. 1. PARTY  DESIGNATION  OF  A
 CANDIDATE  FOR  NOMINATION  AT A PRIMARY ELECTION IN COUNTIES, EXCLUDING
 COUNTIES LOCATED WITHIN A CITY WITH A POPULATION OF ONE MILLION OR MORE,
 FOR ANY OFFICE TO BE FILLED BY THE VOTERS OF THE ENTIRE COUNTY SHALL  BE
 MADE  BY  THE  COUNTY  COMMITTEE,  IF  THE PARTY RULES OF SUCH COUNTY SO
 PROVIDE.
   2. PARTY DESIGNATION OF  A  CANDIDATE  FOR  NOMINATION  AT  A  PRIMARY
 ELECTION  FOR  ANY OFFICE WHOSE ELECTORAL DISTRICT IS CONTAINED WITHIN A
 COUNTY, EXCLUDING COUNTIES LOCATED WITHIN A CITY WITH  A  POPULATION  OF
 ONE  MILLION  OR  MORE,  SHALL  BE  MADE BY THE COUNTY COMMITTEE MEMBERS
 REPRESENTING THE DISTRICT ASSOCIATED WITH  SUCH  OFFICE,  IF  THE  PARTY
 RULES OF SUCH COUNTY SO PROVIDE.
   3.  FOR  EACH  ASSEMBLY  DISTRICT OR PART OF AN ASSEMBLY DISTRICT FROM
 WHICH DELEGATES TO A JUDICIAL NOMINATING CONVENTION ARE  TO  BE  ELECTED
 PURSUANT  TO  SECTION  6-124  OF  THIS ARTICLE, EXCLUDING THOSE ASSEMBLY
 DISTRICTS OR PARTS OF ASSEMBLY DISTRICTS THAT ARE LOCATED WITHIN  CITIES
 WITH A POPULATION OF ONE MILLION OR MORE, CANDIDATES FOR THE POSITION OF
 JUDICIAL  DELEGATE  AND  ALTERNATE  JUDICIAL DELEGATE TO BE ELECTED AT A
 PRIMARY ELECTION SHALL BE DESIGNATED BY  THE  COUNTY  COMMITTEE  MEMBERS
 REPRESENTING  SUCH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT OR PART OF AN ASSEMBLY DISTRICT, IF
 THE PARTY RULES OF THE COUNTY CONTAINING SUCH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT OR  PART
 OF AN ASSEMBLY DISTRICT SO PROVIDE.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01282-01-5
 S. 7401                             2

 
   4.  DESIGNATIONS  MADE  PURSUANT  TO SUBDIVISIONS ONE THROUGH THREE OF
 THIS SECTION SHALL BE MADE BY WEIGHTED  VOTE  OF  ALL  COUNTY  COMMITTEE
 MEMBERS  QUALIFIED TO VOTE FOR EACH SUCH DESIGNATION. THE VOTE OF COUNTY
 COMMITTEE MEMBERS SHALL BE HELD NOT EARLIER THAN TWENTY-ONE DAYS  BEFORE
 THE FIRST DAY TO SIGN DESIGNATING PETITIONS AND NOT LATER THAN THE FIRST
 DAY  TO SIGN DESIGNATING PETITIONS FOR THE PRIMARY ELECTION. WITHIN FOUR
 DAYS AFTER SUCH VOTES ARE TAKEN, THE COUNTY COMMITTEE  SHALL  FILE  WITH
 THE  COUNTY  BOARD  OF  ELECTIONS THE NAMES OF THE PERSONS WHO HAVE BEEN
 DESIGNATED AND THE OFFICES OR DELEGATE POSITIONS  FOR  WHICH  THEY  HAVE
 BEEN  DESIGNATED.  UPON  THE VOTE FOR EACH SUCH DESIGNATION, EACH COUNTY
 COMMITTEE MEMBER SHALL BE ENTITLED TO CAST A NUMBER OF VOTES WHICH SHALL
 BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RATIO WHICH THE NUMBER OF VOTES FOR THE  PARTY
 CANDIDATE  FOR  GOVERNOR  ON THE LINE OR COLUMN OF THE PARTY AT THE LAST
 PRECEDING GENERAL ELECTION IN THE UNIT  OF  REPRESENTATION  SUCH  MEMBER
 REPRESENTS  BEARS  TO THE TOTAL VOTE CAST ON SUCH LINE OR COLUMN AT SUCH
 ELECTION FOR SUCH CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR IN THE ENTIRE DISTRICT  ASSOCI-
 ATED  WITH  THE OFFICE OR DELEGATE POSITION FOR WHICH THE DESIGNATION IS
 BEING MADE. THE APPORTIONMENT OF SUCH VOTES AS SO  PRESCRIBED  SHALL  BE
 DETERMINED  BY THE RULES OF THE PARTY. THE PERSON RECEIVING THE MAJORITY
 OF THE WEIGHTED VOTE SHALL BE THE PARTY'S DESIGNATED CANDIDATE FOR NOMI-
 NATION AT THE PRIMARY ELECTION, OR, IF SUCH DESIGNATION IS FOR  A  JUDI-
 CIAL DELEGATE OR ALTERNATE JUDICIAL DELEGATE, FOR ELECTION AT THE PRIMA-
 RY  ELECTION,  AND ALL OTHER PERSONS WHO SHALL HAVE RECEIVED TWENTY-FIVE
 PERCENT OR MORE OF THE WEIGHTED VOTE CAST ON ANY BALLOT SHALL  HAVE  THE
 RIGHT  TO MAKE WRITTEN DEMAND, DULY ACKNOWLEDGED, TO THE COUNTY BOARD OF
 ELECTIONS THAT THEIR NAMES APPEAR ON THE PRIMARY  BALLOT  AS  CANDIDATES
 FOR  SUCH NOMINATION OR DELEGATE POSITION. SUCH DEMAND SHALL BE MADE NOT
 LATER THAN SEVEN DAYS AFTER THE VOTE OF THE COUNTY COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND
 MAY BE WITHDRAWN IN THE SAME MANNER WITHIN FOURTEEN DAYS OF SUCH VOTE.
   5. PARTY DESIGNATION OF  A  CANDIDATE  FOR  NOMINATION  AT  A  PRIMARY
 ELECTION FOR ANY OFFICE WHOSE ELECTORAL DISTRICT ENCOMPASSES PORTIONS OF
 MORE  THAN  ONE  COUNTY  SHALL  BE  MADE BY THE COUNTY COMMITTEE MEMBERS
 REPRESENTING THE DISTRICT ASSOCIATED WITH  SUCH  OFFICE,  IF  THE  PARTY
 RULES  OF  EACH  COUNTY CONTAINING A PORTION OF THE DISTRICT SO PROVIDE,
 EXCEPT WHERE ANY SUCH COUNTY IS LOCATED WITHIN A CITY WITH A  POPULATION
 OF ONE MILLION OR MORE.
   6.(A)  DESIGNATIONS  MADE PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION FIVE OF THIS SECTION
 SHALL BE MADE BY WEIGHTED VOTE OF ALL COUNTY COMMITTEE MEMBERS QUALIFIED
 TO VOTE FOR EACH SUCH DESIGNATION.
   (B) THE COUNTY COMMITTEE OF EACH COUNTY INCLUDED WITHIN  AN  ELECTORAL
 DISTRICT  OR  DISTRICTS FOR WHICH SUCH A DESIGNATION IS BEING MADE SHALL
 CONVENE A MEETING FOR THE PURPOSE OF  ASCERTAINING  AND  CERTIFYING  THE
 VOTES OF ITS MEMBERS WHO ARE QUALIFIED TO VOTE FOR ANY SUCH DESIGNATION.
 EACH  SUCH MEETING SHALL BE HELD NOT EARLIER THAN TWENTY-ONE DAYS BEFORE
 THE FIRST DAY TO SIGN DESIGNATING PETITIONS AND  NOT  LATER  THAN  SEVEN
 DAYS  BEFORE THE FIRST DAY TO SIGN DESIGNATING PETITIONS FOR THE PRIMARY
 ELECTION. DURING EACH SUCH MEETING, FOR EACH ELECTED  OFFICE  FOR  WHICH
 MEMBERS  OF  THE  COUNTY  COMMITTEE  ARE  ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE
 CANDIDATE DESIGNATION PROCESS, A VOTE SHALL BE HELD WHEREIN EACH  COUNTY
 COMMITTEE MEMBER ELIGIBLE TO VOTE FOR SUCH DESIGNATION SHALL BE ENTITLED
 TO  CAST  A  SINGLE  BALLOT  SPECIFYING  THE NAME OF ONE PERSON WHOM THE
 MEMBER WISHES TO DESIGNATE AS A CANDIDATE FOR SUCH NOMINATION.
   (C) WITHIN FOUR DAYS AFTER SUCH MEETING IS HELD, THE COUNTY  COMMITTEE
 SHALL  FILE  WITH  THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS A DOCUMENT, CERTIFIED BY
 THE CHAIRPERSON AND THE SECRETARY OF THE COUNTY COMMITTEE,  IDENTIFYING,
 FOR  EACH  ELECTED OFFICE FOR WHICH MEMBERS OF THE COUNTY COMMITTEE CAST
 S. 7401                             3
 
 DESIGNATING BALLOTS, THE NAME OF EACH COUNTY COMMITTEE MEMBER WHO CAST A
 BALLOT DURING THE VOTE, THE UNIT  OF  REPRESENTATION  EACH  SUCH  MEMBER
 REPRESENTS,  AND  THE  NAME OF THE PERSON WHOM EACH SUCH MEMBER VOTED TO
 DESIGNATE.
   (D)  FOR  EACH  ELECTED  OFFICE FOR WHICH THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS
 RECEIVES CERTIFIED RESULTS OF DESIGNATING VOTES FROM THE COUNTY  COMMIT-
 TEES  OF  THE COUNTIES INCLUDED WITHIN THE ELECTORAL DISTRICT ASSOCIATED
 WITH SUCH OFFICE, THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS SHALL  DETERMINE,  WITHIN
 SEVEN  DAYS  OF  RECEIVING SUCH RESULTS, THE WEIGHTED VOTE OF ALL COUNTY
 COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO VOTED FOR SUCH DESIGNATION. THE WEIGHTED  VOTE  OF
 EACH  SUCH  COMMITTEE  MEMBER SHALL BE EQUIVALENT TO THE RATIO WHICH THE
 NUMBER OF VOTES FOR THE PARTY CANDIDATE FOR  GOVERNOR  ON  THE  LINE  OR
 COLUMN  OF  THE PARTY AT THE LAST PRECEDING GENERAL ELECTION IN THE UNIT
 OF REPRESENTATION SUCH MEMBER REPRESENTS BEARS TO THE TOTAL VOTE CAST ON
 SUCH LINE OR COLUMN AT SUCH ELECTION FOR SUCH CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR  IN
 THE ENTIRE DISTRICT ASSOCIATED WITH THE OFFICE FOR WHICH THE DESIGNATION
 IS BEING MADE.
   (E)  IF  ANY  PERSON  RECEIVED  A  MAJORITY OF THE WEIGHTED VOTE, THAT
 PERSON SHALL BE THE PARTY'S DESIGNATED CANDIDATE FOR NOMINATION  AT  THE
 PRIMARY  ELECTION, AND ALL OTHER PERSONS WHO SHALL HAVE RECEIVED TWENTY-
 FIVE PERCENT OR MORE OF THE WEIGHTED VOTE SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT  TO  MAKE
 WRITTEN  DEMAND, DULY ACKNOWLEDGED, TO THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS THAT
 THEIR NAMES APPEAR ON THE PRIMARY BALLOT AS CANDIDATES  FOR  SUCH  NOMI-
 NATION.  SUCH  DEMAND  SHALL BE MADE NOT LATER THAN SEVEN DAYS AFTER THE
 FIRST DAY TO SIGN DESIGNATING PETITIONS FOR THE PRIMARY ELECTION AND MAY
 BE WITHDRAWN IN THE SAME MANNER WITHIN FOURTEEN DAYS OF THE FIRST DAY TO
 SIGN DESIGNATING PETITIONS FOR THE PRIMARY ELECTION.
   7. NO PERSON MAY, IN A GIVEN YEAR, BE CHOSEN AS A  PARTY'S  DESIGNATED
 CANDIDATE FOR NOMINATION AT A PRIMARY ELECTION OR MAKE WRITTEN DEMAND TO
 ANY BOARD OF ELECTIONS THAT THEIR NAME APPEAR ON THE PRIMARY BALLOT AS A
 CANDIDATE  FOR PARTY NOMINATION FOR MORE THAN ONE OFFICE PURSUANT TO THE
 PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
   8. NOTWITHSTANDING THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION, ENROLLED MEMBERS OF
 THE PARTY MAY MAKE DESIGNATIONS BY PETITION FOR A  MEMBER  OF  THE  SAME
 PARTY PURSUANT TO SECTION 6-136 OF THIS ARTICLE.
   9.  NOTWITHSTANDING  THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION, PARTY NOMINATIONS
 FOR VILLAGE AND TOWN ELECTIONS MAY BE MADE BY CAUCUS PURSUANT  TO  TITLE
 TWO OF THIS ARTICLE AND SECTION 6-108 OF THIS ARTICLE, RESPECTIVELY. FOR
 ELECTIONS  WHEREIN NOMINEES ARE CHOSEN BY CAUCUS, THE PROVISIONS OF THIS
 SECTION SHALL NOT BE APPLICABLE.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next  succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Senate Bill S7401

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

2025-S7401 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S7401 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S7401 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S7401 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S7401

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Christopher J. Ryan

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

2025-S7401 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S7401 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S7401 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S7401 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments