BROOKS, GAUGHRAN, HOYLMAN, JACKSON, KAPLAN, MANNION, MAY, SKOUFIS, STAVISKY, THOMAS
MLTSPNSR
Amd §8-600, El L
Enacts the "Make Voting Easy Act"; requires the board of elections to designate a number of early voting polling places based on the number of registered voters in each county; relates to the hours polls are open for early voting.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4306--B
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 3, 2021
___________
Introduced by Sens. GIANARIS, BROOKS, HOYLMAN, JACKSON, KAPLAN, MANNION,
MAY, SKOUFIS, STAVISKY, THOMAS -- read twice and ordered printed, and
when printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections -- commit-
tee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recom-
mitted 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 enacting the "Make
Voting Easy Act" to require that the board of elections designate a
number of early voting polling places based on the number of regis-
tered voters in each county
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "Make Voting Easy Act".
3 § 2. Subdivision 2 of section 8-600 of the election law, as added by
4 chapter 6 of the laws of 2019, paragraph (a) as amended by chapter 74 of
5 the laws of 2021, paragraph (b) as added and paragraphs (c), (d), and
6 (e) as relettered by chapter 110 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read
7 as follows:
8 2. (a) The board of elections shall designate polling places for early
9 voting, which may include the offices of the board of elections, for
10 persons to vote early pursuant to this title[; provided, however, that
11 the].
12 (b) The largest city in the county or, if there is no city in the
13 county, the municipality with the highest population in each county
14 based on the latest federal decennial census, or the county seat in
15 Washington county, shall have at least one polling place designated for
16 early voting, and to the extent practicable if such city or municipality
17 has public transportation routes, such polling place shall be situated
18 along such transportation routes. [There]
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03251-13-1
S. 4306--B 2
1 (c) In counties with at least five hundred thousand registered voters,
2 there shall be so designated at least one early voting polling place for
3 every full increment of [fifty] forty thousand registered voters [in
4 each county; provided, however,].
5 (d) In all other counties with less than five hundred thousand regis-
6 tered voters, there shall be so designated at least one early voting
7 polling place for every full increment of thirty thousand registered
8 voters; provided, however, the number of early voting polling places in
9 [a county] counties with less than five hundred thousand registered
10 voters shall not be required to be greater than ten [unless required by
11 any other provision of law, and a county with fewer than fifty thousand
12 voters shall have at least one early voting polling place] nor less than
13 one.
14 [(b)] (e) For any special, primary or run-off primary election at
15 which no voters of the municipality with the highest population within
16 the county are eligible to vote, the board of elections may, in lieu of
17 having an early voting polling place in such municipality, designate a
18 polling place for early voting in the municipality with the highest
19 population within the county within which the voters are eligible to
20 vote at such special, primary, or run-off primary election.
21 [(c)] (f) The board of elections of each county or the city of New
22 York may establish additional polling places for early voting in excess
23 of the minimum number required by this subdivision for the convenience
24 of eligible voters.
25 [(d)] (g) Notwithstanding the minimum number of early voting poll
26 sites otherwise required by this subdivision, for any primary or special
27 election, upon majority vote of the board of elections, the number of
28 early voting sites may be reduced when the board of elections determines
29 a lesser number of sites is sufficient to meet the needs of early
30 voters.
31 [(e)] (h) Polling places for early voting shall be located so that
32 voters in the county have adequate and equitable access, taking into
33 consideration population density, travel time to the polling place,
34 proximity to other early voting poll sites, public transportation
35 routes, commuter traffic patterns and such other factors the board of
36 elections deems appropriate. The provisions of section 4-104 of this
37 chapter, except subdivisions four and five of such section, shall apply
38 to the designation of polling places for early voting except to the
39 extent such provisions are inconsistent with this section.
40 § 3. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 4 of section 8-600 of the election
41 law, as added by chapter 6 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as
42 follows:
43 (c) Polls shall be open for early voting for at least [five] eight
44 hours between nine o'clock in the morning and [six] eight o'clock in the
45 evening on each Saturday, Sunday and legal holiday during the early
46 voting period.
47 § 4. This act shall take effect April 1, 2022 and shall apply to any
48 general, primary, run-off primary, or special election held thereafter.
