Instructs the state board of elections to create and distribute voting guides to voters containing information about the candidates; mandates that voters receive postcards to notify them of upcoming elections and that television and radio stations also notify their audience of upcoming elections.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2331--A
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 19, 2023
___________
Introduced by Sens. MYRIE, MAY, SERRANO -- read twice and ordered print-
ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections --
recommitted to the Committee on Elections in accordance with Senate
Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to notifying voters of the
candidates and upcoming elections
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Article 8 of the election law is amended by adding a new
2 title 8 to read as follows:
3 TITLE VIII
4 VOTER NOTIFICATIONS
5 Section 8-800. Voting guide.
6 8-802. Postcards.
7 8-804. Television and radio.
8 § 8-800. Voting guide. 1. Any candidate seeking nomination or election
9 at the next general and primary election to any public office, or a
10 designated agent acting on behalf of such candidate, may, at least six
11 weeks prior to the general and primary election, file with the board of
12 elections with which nominating and designating petitions and certif-
13 icates for such office are filed pursuant to section 6-144 of this chap-
14 ter a sworn statement containing biographical information, such as the
15 candidate's occupation, educational and occupational background, prior
16 governmental experience, and any other personal background or experience
17 that the candidate deems relevant to the election campaign, and answers
18 to issue based questions drafted by the state board of elections that
19 are specified to each position.
20 2. The state board of elections shall, by regulation, establish the
21 format and length of the statement authorized under this section and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01318-03-4
S. 2331--A 2
1 shall provide to candidates a standardized form for preparing such
2 statement.
3 3. Within five days after the last day for filing statements under
4 this section, all local boards of elections shall forward all such
5 candidate biographies to the state board of elections in electronic form
6 in a manner to be prescribed by the state board of elections.
7 4. In the event that any candidate biographies received by the state
8 board of elections, from any local board of elections, is not in elec-
9 tronic form, the state board of elections shall, within ten days after
10 receipt of such candidate biography, convert such candidate biography to
11 electronic form.
12 5. The state board of elections shall email, if a registered voter's
13 email is available to the state board of elections, to every registered
14 voter in the state a voting guide consisting of all biographical infor-
15 mation and answers to issue based questions, as outlined in subdivision
16 one of this section, received from each candidate for whom the receiver
17 of this mailing can vote for in the upcoming election. The board shall
18 also mail at least one physical copy of the voting guide to each house-
19 hold with a registered voter in the state. In the event the state board
20 of elections determines that distribution of the voting guide would be
21 more efficient and economical if done by the local boards of elections,
22 the state board is hereby authorized to instruct all boards of elections
23 to distribute the voting guide to at least one registered voter in each
24 household. Should the state board so instruct the boards of elections,
25 it shall provide a sufficient number of voting guides to each board of
26 elections and shall promptly reimburse each board for the actual cost of
27 postage incurred by said board in distributing the voting guides
28 provided that said board utilize the lowest feasible postage rate
29 charged by the United States postal service. The distribution of the
30 voting guides to registered voters or households shall be made at least
31 three weeks before the election to which they pertain.
32 6. The state board of elections shall maintain a website where all
33 voter guide information is maintained, updated and accessible to the
34 general public.
35 § 8-802. Postcards. For each primary and general election, the state
36 board of elections shall email, if a registered voter's email is avail-
37 able to the state board of elections, a postcard which contains informa-
38 tion for the upcoming election that contains the date of the election.
39 The board shall also mail at least two physical postcards to each house-
40 hold with a registered voter in the state. The board shall send the
41 postcards twice before the election with the first mailing to be made no
42 earlier than fifteen days and no later than ten days prior to the
43 election; and with the second mailing to be made no earlier than seven
44 days and no later than five days before the election.
45 § 8-804. Television and radio. For ten consecutive days before each
46 primary and general election, all major television and radio stations
47 using public airwaves or doing business within the state shall inform
48 their audience at least four times each day between the hours of seven
49 a.m. and eleven p.m. of the upcoming election. Each of the four required
50 notifications shall air at least three hours apart.
51 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
52 it shall have become a law.
