A02057 Summary:

BILL NOA02057
 
SAME ASNo Same As
 
SPONSORQuart
 
COSPNSR
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Add Art 8 Title 6 SS8-600 - 8-604, El L
 
Authorizes early voting at primary and general elections to be conducted at least 7 days prior to the election upon application by the voter and provides that permanent polling places shall be established by the county board of elections for early voting.
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A02057 Actions:

BILL NOA02057
 
01/15/2015referred to election law
01/06/2016referred to election law
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A02057 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A2057
 
SPONSOR: Quart
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the election law, in relation to authorizing early voting at primary and general elections   PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: To allow for early voting.   SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section 1 provides for early voting in New York State. Provisions include: * Voters will be able to vote in person starting 7 days before each election and ending the Sunday before the election. * The Board of Elections will establish at least 1 polling place for every 100,000 voters. * Each polling place will be open from 9am to 5pm each business day and from 9am to 2pm on weekends and holidays. This section also details the application to be used to register for early voting. Section 2 contains the effective date.   JUSTIFICATION: Voter turnout in New York is persistently low. In 2010, turnout for the general election in November was the lowest in the country. Many other states have implemented a variety of reforms making the process of voting significantly more convenient for voters that New York could benefit from. Early voting allows voters to vote at their convenience. Many voters have a difficult time making time to vote on election day, due to work, family and other responsibilities. Extending the amount of time avail- able to voters to participate in an election has effectively increased voter turnout in the other 32 states that have implemented it.   PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 2013-2014: A2672 referred to Elections   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None   EFFECTIVE DATE: This bill would take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
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A02057 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          2057
 
                               2015-2016 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    January 15, 2015
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by M. of A. QUART -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Election Law
 
        AN ACT to amend the election  law,  in  relation  to  authorizing  early
          voting at primary and general 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 6 to read as follows:
     3                                  TITLE VI
     4                                EARLY VOTING
     5  Section 8-600. Early voting procedures.
     6          8-602. Application for early voting.
     7          8-604. State board of elections; powers and duties of.
     8    § 8-600. Early voting procedures. 1. No later than seven days prior to
     9  the  date  of  every  primary  and  general election, a person may, upon
    10  completion of a formal written application, vote  for  a  candidate  for
    11  public  office  in  a primary or general election, and such early voting
    12  practice may take place at such person's designated polling place or  as
    13  designated  by  and through a county board of elections under the powers
    14  granted pursuant to this section on or before the effective date of this
    15  section.  Each county board of elections shall establish permanent poll-
    16  ing places for early voting and shall provide at least one polling place
    17  for every one hundred thousand voters within the  jurisdiction  of  such
    18  board  of  elections.    Early  voting  shall be made available each day
    19  during such period until the Sunday immediately prior to the primary  or
    20  general election.
    21    2.  Each  polling  place  shall be open to the public for early voting
    22  from 9 A.M. until 5 P.M. on any business day and from  9  A.M.  until  2
    23  P.M.  on any Saturday, Sunday, or holiday during such early voting peri-
    24  od; provided, however, that  the  county  board  of  elections  may,  in
    25  accordance  with  this  section,  establish additional temporary polling
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04479-01-5

        A. 2057                             2
 
     1  places that are not open for the entirety of the early voting period and
     2  such temporary polling places shall be open for early voting during such
     3  hours and days as shall be designated by the board of elections.
     4    3.  A registered voter may participate in early voting upon completion
     5  and filing of an application therefor with the board of elections  hold-
     6  ing his or her voter registration.
     7    4.  Each  county  board of elections shall publish notice of the date,
     8  time, locations and manner of such early voting  practice  for  general,
     9  primary  and  special  elections  in  a newspaper of general circulation
    10  thirty days prior to commencement of the first day of such early voting.
    11    5. The early voting shall be monitored and administered  by  two  duly
    12  designated persons, one from each major political party, and such voting
    13  shall  follow and conform to all other procedures, measures and require-
    14  ments of casting a vote in a primary or  general  election  pursuant  to
    15  this  chapter.  All  votes  cast during the early voting period shall be
    16  counted in the same manner as votes cast on the day of  the  primary  or
    17  general   election  to  which  such  early  voting  period  relates,  as
    18  prescribed by article nine of this chapter.
    19    § 8-602. Application for early voting. 1. The board of elections shall
    20  furnish one application for early voting to  any  voter  who  personally
    21  appears  and  wishes  to  exercise  this  right. Upon completion of such
    22  application, two duly designated employees of the  board  of  elections,
    23  one  from  each  major  political  party  represented, shall compare the
    24  information of the voter with the signature  on  the  voter's  permanent
    25  registration record, or other evidence of identification if computerized
    26  duplicate registration records are used, and shall endorse on the appli-
    27  cation that such review has been completed. The results or tabulation of
    28  votes  cast  during  an early voting period shall not be made before the
    29  close of all polling places on  the  date  of  the  primary  or  general
    30  election.  Ballots used in early voting shall be, as nearly as practica-
    31  ble, the same form as those used on the date of the election.
    32    2. The application for early voting  shall  require  and  include  the
    33  following identifying information:
    34    (a) the date of the primary or general election,
    35    (b) name of the board of elections,
    36    (c) the name of the voter,
    37    (d) residence of voter,
    38    (e) number of the assembly district, if any,
    39    (f) name of city or town, number of ward, if any, and
    40    (g) election district and party enrollment. There shall be a place for
    41  two  signatures  of  persons  designated to inspect, one from each major
    42  political party, that such persons have checked and marked  the  voter's
    43  registration  and  poll record.  On the reverse side of such application
    44  shall be printed the following statement:
    45    I do declare that I am a citizen of the United States, that I am  duly
    46  registered  in  the  election district shown on the reverse side of this
    47  application and I am qualified to vote in such district; that I  do  not
    48  intend  to  vote  elsewhere,  that I have not committed any act nor am I
    49  under any impediment which denies me the right to vote. I hereby declare
    50  that the foregoing is a true statement to the best of my  knowledge  and
    51  belief,  and I understand that if I make any material false statement in
    52  the foregoing statement, I shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
    53    (Date)____________________
    54    __________________________
    55    (Signature and address of voter)_________________
    56    _________________________________________________

        A. 2057                             3
 
     1    (Witness)_______________________
     2    ________________________________
     3    §  8-604.  State board of elections; powers and duties of. Any rule or
     4  regulation necessary for the implementation of the  provisions  of  this
     5  title shall be promulgated by the state board of elections.
     6    §  2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
     7  ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
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