ASSEMBLY STANDING COMMITTEE ON ELECTION LAW
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ELECTION DAY OPERATIONS AND VOTER DISENFRANCHISEMENT

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

ORAL TESTIMONY BY INVITATION ONLY

In 2005, New York enacted legislation implementing the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002. Full implementation of HAVA in New York State is scheduled to occur in 2010 with the replacement of lever voting machines with poll site optical scan voting systems. The New York City Board of Elections has unique challenges due to its very large jurisdiction comprised of all five boroughs in the City of New York. The Board of Elections hires over 39,000 election inspectors who work in over 6000 election districts at more than 1300 poll sites on General Election day. The transition to full HAVA compliance will be costly, both in the purchase of new voting systems and ancillary components and in the human resources necessary to train poll workers and educate the public about the new voting systems. The New York City Board of Elections has asked the State Legislature to consider legislation that would establish a mandatory minimum funding allocation formula for the Board.

This hearing will examine the resources available and if any further legislation may be needed to implement HAVA in New York City.

Persons invited to testify at this public hearing should complete and return the enclosed reply form as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation.

Oral testimony will be limited to 10 minutes' duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Committees will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to Committee staff as early as possible. In the absence of a request, witnesses will be scheduled in the order in which reply forms are postmarked.

Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committees would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.

I plan to attend the public hearing on Budgetary Needs of the New York City Board of Elections to Implement the Help America Vote Act in 2010 to be conducted by the Assembly Committee on Election Law and the Subcommittee on Election Day Operations and Voter Disenfranchisement on May 14, 2010.

I plan to make a public statement at the hearing. My statement will be limited to 10 minutes, and I will answer any questions which may arise. I will provide 10 copies of my prepared statement.

I will address my remarks to the following subjects:

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I do not plan to attend the above hearing.

I would like to be added to the Committee's mailing list for notices and reports.

I would like to be removed from the Committee's mailing list.

I will require assistance and/or handicapped accessibility information. Please specify the type of assistance required:

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