STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8960
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
August 13, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SEAWRIGHT, TAYLOR -- read once and referred to
the Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to protecting the personal
information of candidates for public office
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 6-132 of the election law is amended by adding two
2 new subdivisions 1-a and 2-a to read as follows:
3 1-a. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, prior to the release
4 of a designation or nomination petition through a freedom of information
5 request or the publication of such document to the public, the home
6 address of the candidate or candidates appearing on such petition shall
7 be redacted in each instance.
8 2-a. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, prior to the release
9 of a designation or nomination petition through a freedom of information
10 request or the publication of such document to the public, the home
11 address of the witness to the signatures on such petition shall be
12 redacted in each instance.
13 § 2. Section 6-140 of the election law is amended by adding a new
14 subdivision 1-a to read as follows:
15 1-a. (i) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, prior to the
16 release of a designation or nomination petition through a freedom of
17 information request or the publication of such document to the public,
18 the home address of the candidate or candidates appearing on such peti-
19 tion shall be redacted in each instance.
20 (ii) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, prior to the release
21 of a designation or nomination petition through a freedom of information
22 request or the publication of such document to the public, the home
23 address of the witness to the signatures on such petition shall be
24 redacted in each instance.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13399-01-5
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1 § 3. Section 6-144 of the election law, as amended by chapter 635 of
2 the laws of 1990, the opening paragraph as amended by chapter 150 of the
3 laws of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
4 § 6-144. Nominating and designating petitions and certificates; place
5 for filing. Petitions, certificates and minutes specified in this arti-
6 cle shall be filed in the office of the Board of Elections of the coun-
7 ty, except as follows: for an office or position to be voted for wholly
8 within the city of New York, in the office of the Board of Elections of
9 that city; for an office or position to be voted for in a district
10 greater than one county, or portions of two or more counties, in the
11 office of the state board of elections; for a village office to be
12 filled in a village election not conducted by the board of elections, in
13 the office of the village clerk. All such petitions and certificates
14 shall at the time of filing thereof be endorsed by such officer or board
15 with the day, hour and minute of such filing. Such officer or board
16 shall keep a book, which shall be open to public inspection in which
17 shall be entered the times of filing all such petitions and certif-
18 icates; the names [and residences] of all candidates named therein; the
19 names [and residences] of all candidates certified to such officer or
20 board; the title of the office or party position; the name of the party
21 or independent body to which the petition or certificate relates and a
22 memorandum of any objections to such petition or certificate. Forthwith
23 upon the filing of a petition or certificate designating or nominating a
24 person or persons for public office, such officer or board shall mail
25 notice thereof to each such person. Such notice shall also state the
26 last day to decline such designation or nomination, and include a state-
27 ment that the candidate's name shall appear on the ballot as it appears
28 in such notice.
29 § 4. Section 6-204 of the election law is amended by adding a new
30 subdivision 1-a to read as follows:
31 1-a. (i) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, prior to the
32 release of a designation or nomination petition through a freedom of
33 information request or the publication of such document to the public,
34 the home address of the candidate or candidates appearing on such peti-
35 tion shall be redacted in each instance.
36 (ii) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, prior to the release
37 of a designation or nomination petition through a freedom of information
38 request or the publication of such document to the public, the home
39 address of the witness to the signatures on such petition shall be
40 redacted in each instance.
41 § 5. Section 6-206 of the election law is amended by adding a new
42 subdivision 1-a to read as follows:
43 1-a. (i) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, prior to the
44 release of a designation or nomination petition through a freedom of
45 information request or the publication of such document to the public,
46 the home address of the candidate or candidates appearing on such peti-
47 tion shall be redacted in each instance.
48 (ii) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, prior to the release
49 of a designation or nomination petition through a freedom of information
50 request or the publication of such document to the public, the home
51 address of the witness to the signatures on such petition shall be
52 redacted in each instance.
53 § 6. Paragraph a of subdivision 3 of section 15-108 of the election
54 law, as separately amended by chapters 106 and 176 of the laws of 2017,
55 is amended to read as follows:
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1 a. (1) Party designations for elective village offices shall be made
2 on a designating petition containing the signatures in ink of residents
3 of the village who are registered to vote with the appropriate county
4 board of elections at the time of signing and who are enrolled in such
5 political party. The sheets of such a petition shall be numbered. Such
6 petition [must] shall set forth in each instance the correct date of
7 signing, the name of the signer, and [his or her] such signer's present
8 address, and may set forth a committee to fill vacancies consisting of
9 at least three qualified voters of the village enrolled in such party
10 and their residence within the village. A signer need not [himself or
11 herself] fill in the date or residence themselves. Each sheet of such
12 petition [must] shall be in substantially the following form and shall
13 contain all the information required therein:
14 PARTY DESIGNATING PETITION
15 I, the undersigned do hereby state that I am a registered voter of the
16 Village of ...... and a duly enrolled voter of the ........ party and
17 entitled to vote at the next primary election of such party, that my
18 place of residence is truly stated opposite my signature hereto, and I
19 hereby designate the following named person (or persons) as a candidate
20 (or candidates) for nomination of such party for the public office (or
21 public offices) to be voted for at the primary election to be held on
22 the ...... day of ........... 20.... as hereinafter specified.
23 Public Office
24 (include district
25 number, if
26 Name of Candidate applicable) Term Residence
27 .................... ................. ....... ...............
28 .................... ................. ....... ...............
29 I do hereby appoint (insert names and addresses of at least three
30 persons, all of whom shall be enrolled voters of said party) as a
31 committee to fill vacancies in accordance with the provisions of the
32 election law.
33 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand, the day and year
34 placed opposite my signature.
35 Date Name Residence
36 ............. ............. ...............
37 ............. ............. ...............
38 STATEMENT OF WITNESS
39 I ............... (name of witness) state: I am a duly qualified voter
40 of the State of New York; and an enrolled voter of the ......... party.
41 I now reside at ..............(residence address). Each of the persons
42 whose names are subscribed to this petition sheet
43 containing ......... signatures, subscribed [his or her] their name in
44 my presence.
45 I understand that this statement will be accepted for all purposes as
46 the equivalent of an affidavit and, if it contains a material false
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1 statement, shall subject me to the same penalties as if I had been duly
2 sworn.
3 (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, prior to the release
4 of a designation or nomination petition through a freedom of information
5 request or the publication of such document to the public, the home
6 address of the candidate or candidates appearing on such petition shall
7 be redacted in each instance.
8 (3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, prior to the release
9 of a designation or nomination petition through a freedom of information
10 request or the publication of such document to the public, the home
11 address of the witness to the signatures on such petition shall be
12 redacted in each instance.
13 § 7. Subdivision 8 of section 3-220 of the election law, as added by
14 section 6 of part F of chapter 55 of the laws of 2024, is amended to
15 read as follows:
16 8. Where a board of elections receives a notification pursuant to
17 paragraph (c) of subdivision two of section eight hundred fifty-nine of
18 the judiciary law, such board of elections shall comply with such
19 notification[, except that where the notification requires the board of
20 elections to cease making a person's address public, such board shall
21 not comply therewith from the date of filing of any ballot access or
22 related document containing such address until thirty days after the
23 last day to commence a special proceeding or action with respect to such
24 filing].
25 § 8. This act shall take effect immediately.
