Reduces the numbers of signatures required on designating and independent nominating petitions for statewide and local offices; reduces the required numbers of signatures by half or approximately half.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2939
2011-2012 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 21, 2011
___________
Introduced by M. of A. CLARK, GALEF, SPANO, KAVANAGH -- Multi-Sponsored
by -- M. of A. BRENNAN, DINOWITZ -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to signature requirement
on designating and nominating petitions
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 6-136 of the election law,
2 subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 200 of the laws of 1996, subdivision
3 2 as amended by chapter 79 of the laws of 1992, the opening paragraph of
4 subdivision 2 as amended by chapter 659 of the laws of 1994 and para-
5 graph (c-1) of subdivision 2 as amended by chapter 418 of the laws of
6 1993, are amended to read as follows:
7 1. Petitions for any office to be filled by the voters of the entire
8 state must be signed by not less than [fifteen thousand or five] seven
9 thousand five hundred or two and one-half per centum, whichever is less,
10 of the then enrolled voters of the party in the state (excluding voters
11 in inactive status), of whom not less than [one hundred or five] fifty
12 or two and one-half per centum, whichever is less, of such enrolled
13 voters shall reside in each of one-half of the congressional districts
14 of the state.
15 2. All other petitions must be signed by not less than [five] two and
16 one-half per centum, as determined by the preceding enrollment, of the
17 then enrolled voters of the party residing within the political unit in
18 which the office or position is to be voted for (excluding voters in
19 inactive status), provided, however, that for the following public
20 offices the number of signatures need not exceed the following limits:
21 (a) For any office to be filled by all voters of the city of New York,
22 [seven thousand five hundred] three thousand seven hundred fifty signa-
23 tures;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06655-01-1
A. 2939 2
1 (b) For any office to be filled by all the voters of any county or
2 borough within the city of New York, [four] two thousand signatures;
3 (c) For any office to be filled in the city of New York by all the
4 voters of any municipal court district, [one thousand five hundred]
5 seven hundred fifty signatures;
6 (c-1) For any office to be filled in the city of New York by all the
7 voters of any city council district, [nine hundred] four hundred fifty
8 signatures;
9 (d) For any office to be filled by all the voters of cities or coun-
10 ties, except the city of New York and counties therein, containing more
11 than two hundred fifty thousand inhabitants according to the last
12 preceding federal enumeration, [two] one thousand signatures;
13 (e) For any office to be filled by all the voters of cities or coun-
14 ties containing more than twenty-five thousand and not more than two
15 hundred fifty thousand inhabitants, according to the last preceding
16 federal enumeration, [one thousand] five hundred signatures;
17 (f) For any office to be filled by all the voters of any other city or
18 county, or of a councilmanic district in any city other than the city of
19 New York, [five hundred] two hundred fifty signatures;
20 (g) For any office to be filled by all the voters of any congressional
21 district, [twelve hundred fifty] six hundred fifty signatures;
22 (h) For any office to be filled by all the voters of any state senato-
23 rial district, [one thousand] five hundred signatures;
24 (i) For any office to be filled by all voters of any assembly
25 district, [five hundred] two hundred fifty signatures;
26 (j) For any office to be filled by all the voters of any political
27 subdivision, except as herein otherwise provided, contained within
28 another political subdivision, not to exceed the number of signatures
29 required for the larger subdivision;
30 (k) For any other office to be filled by the voters of a political
31 subdivision containing more than one assembly district, county or other
32 political subdivision, not to exceed the aggregate of the signatures
33 required for the subdivisions or parts of subdivisions so contained; and
34 (l) For any county legislative district, [five hundred] two hundred
35 fifty signatures.
36 § 2. Section 6-142 of the election law, as amended by chapter 79 of
37 the laws of 1992 and paragraph (d-1) of subdivision 2 as amended by
38 chapter 418 of the laws of 1993, is amended to read as follows:
39 § 6-142. Independent nominations; number of signatures. 1. An inde-
40 pendent nominating petition for candidates to be voted for by all the
41 voters of the state must be signed by at least [fifteen thousand] seven
42 thousand five hundred voters, of whom at least [one hundred] fifty shall
43 reside in each of one-half of the congressional districts of the State.
44 2. An independent nominating petition for the nomination of candidates
45 for an office to be filled by the voters of any other political unit
46 must be signed by voters numbering [five] two and one-half per centum of
47 the total number of votes cast for governor at the last gubernatorial
48 election in such unit, excluding blank and void votes, except that not
49 more than [three thousand five hundred] one thousand seven hundred fifty
50 signatures shall be required upon any such petition for any office to be
51 filled in any political subdivision of the state wholly outside the city
52 of New York, and not more than the following numbers of signatures shall
53 be required upon any such petition for the following public offices
54 respectively:
A. 2939 3
1 (a) for any office to be filled in any county or portion thereof
2 outside the city of New York, [one thousand five hundred] seven hundred
3 fifty;
4 (b) for any office to be filled by all the voters of the city of New
5 York, [seven thousand five hundred] three thousand seven hundred fifty;
6 (b-1) for any office to be filled by all the voters of any two coun-
7 ties in such city, [four] two thousand;
8 (c) for any office to be filled by all the voters of any county or
9 borough in such city, [four] two thousand;
10 (d) for any office to be filled by all the voters of any municipal
11 court district, [three thousand] one thousand five hundred signatures;
12 (d-1) for any office to be filled in the city of New York by all the
13 voters of any city council district, [two thousand seven hundred] one
14 thousand three hundred fifty;
15 (e) for any office to be filled by all the voters of any congressional
16 district, [three thousand five hundred] one thousand seven hundred
17 fifty;
18 (f) for any office to be filled by all the voters of any state senato-
19 rial district, [three thousand] one thousand five hundred;
20 (g) for any office to be filled by all the voters of an assembly
21 district, [one thousand five hundred] seven hundred fifty;
22 (h) for the office of trustee of the Long Island Power Authority,
23 [five hundred] two hundred fifty;
24 (i) for any office to be filled by the voters of any political subdi-
25 vision contained within another political subdivision except as herein
26 otherwise provided, not to exceed the number of signatures required for
27 the larger subdivision.
28 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of December next succeed-
29 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
