STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8532--A
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
December 13, 2021
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Introduced by M. of A. B. MILLER -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Election Law -- recommitted to the Committee on Election
Law in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee
discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
to said committee
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to requiring the county
seat in Herkimer county to have at least one polling place designated
for early voting
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 8-600 of the election law, as
2 amended by chapter 781 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read as
3 follows:
4 2. (a) The board of elections shall designate polling places for early
5 voting, which may include the offices of the board of elections, for
6 persons to vote early pursuant to this title.
7 (b) The largest city in the county or, if there is no city in the
8 county, the municipality with the highest population in each county
9 based on the latest federal decennial census, or the county seat in
10 Washington county, or the county seat in Herkimer county, shall have at
11 least one polling place designated for early voting, and to the extent
12 practicable if such city or municipality has public transportation
13 routes, such polling place shall be situated along such transportation
14 routes.
15 (c) In counties with at least five hundred thousand registered voters,
16 there shall be so designated at least one early voting polling place for
17 every full increment of forty thousand registered voters.
18 (d) In all other counties with less than five hundred thousand regis-
19 tered voters, there shall be so designated at least one early voting
20 polling place for every full increment of thirty thousand registered
21 voters; provided, however, the number of early voting polling places in
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13850-03-2
A. 8532--A 2
1 counties with less than five hundred thousand registered voters shall
2 not be required to be greater than ten nor less than one.
3 (e) For any special, primary or run-off primary election at which no
4 voters of the municipality with the highest population within the county
5 are eligible to vote, the board of elections may, in lieu of having an
6 early voting polling place in such municipality, designate a polling
7 place for early voting in the municipality with the highest population
8 within the county within which the voters are eligible to vote at such
9 special, primary, or run-off primary election.
10 (f) The board of elections of each county or the city of New York may
11 establish additional polling places for early voting in excess of the
12 minimum number required by this subdivision for the convenience of
13 eligible voters.
14 (g) Notwithstanding the minimum number of early voting poll sites
15 otherwise required by this subdivision, for any primary or special
16 election, upon majority vote of the board of elections, the number of
17 early voting sites may be reduced when the board of elections determines
18 a lesser number of sites is sufficient to meet the needs of early
19 voters.
20 (h) Polling places for early voting shall be located so that voters in
21 the county have adequate and equitable access, taking into consideration
22 population density, travel time to the polling place, proximity to other
23 early voting poll sites, public transportation routes, commuter traffic
24 patterns and such other factors the board of elections deems appropri-
25 ate. The provisions of section 4-104 of this chapter, except subdivi-
26 sions four and five of such section, shall apply to the designation of
27 polling places for early voting except to the extent such provisions are
28 inconsistent with this section.
29 § 2. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same
30 manner as section 2 of chapter 781 of the laws of 2021, takes effect.
