Requires the board of elections in cities with a population of one million or more to provide at least one interpreter for all languages that are designated city-wide languages at poll sites that contain an election district with at least fifty voting age residents whose limited English proficiency language is a designated city-wide language.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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4036--C
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 26, 2019
___________
Introduced by Sens. GOUNARDES, MYRIE -- read twice and ordered printed,
and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections --
committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
recommitted to said committee -- reported favorably from said commit-
tee and committed to the Committee on Finance -- committee discharged,
bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said
committee -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to provision of interpret-
ers at poll sites in certain cities
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The election law is amended by adding a new section 8-110
2 to read as follows:
3 § 8-110. Board of elections, in consultation with the executive office
4 of any city with a population of one million or more; provision of
5 interpreters. 1. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary,
6 any board of elections in a city with a population of one million or
7 more shall, at a minimum, provide interpreters for all languages that
8 are designated city-wide languages pursuant to section 23-1101 of the
9 administrative code of the city of New York or other applicable statute
10 at all poll sites that contain an election district with at least fifty
11 voting age residents whose limited English proficiency language is a
12 designated city-wide language. The voting districts with at least fifty
13 voting age residents with limited English proficiency shall be made by
14 the board of elections based upon the most recent United States census
15 data or American community survey data, whichever is more recent, and
16 beginning on January first, two thousand twenty-two, such data shall be
17 reviewed every two years. Unless an election district has at least fifty
18 voting age residents with limited English proficiency who speak a
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08999-12-9
S. 4036--C 2
1 specific city-wide language, an interpreter for such city-wide language
2 shall not be required for any poll site in such election district.
3 2. All interpreters provided by a board of elections pursuant to
4 subdivision one of this section shall be made available to the public
5 inside the poll site. Any interpreter who engages in any activity in
6 violation of subdivision one of section 8-104 of this article shall be
7 immediately relieved of his or her duties as an interpreter.
8 3. Nothing in this section shall restrict or prohibit a board of
9 elections from providing interpreters for languages that are not
10 required pursuant to this section.
11 4. The state board of elections shall promulgate rules and regulations
12 that include establishing standards for the number of interpreters that
13 will be required at each poll site based upon the number of voting age
14 residents in an election district with limited English proficiency that
15 speak a specific language.
16 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
17 ing the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately,
18 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces-
19 sary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are
20 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
