New York State Assembly

 
•  Summary 
 
•  Actions 
 
•  Committee Votes 
 
•  Floor Votes 
 
•  Memo 
 
•  Text 
 
•  LFIN 
 
•  Chamber Video/Transcript 

S04306 Summary:

S04306 Actions:

S04306 Committee Votes:

S04306 Floor Votes:

S04306 Text:

 
                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.