Bill Text: NY A04186 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Provides an online absentee ballot tracking system to allow a voter who has submitted an application for an absentee ballot to track the status of an absentee application and an absentee ballot on the state board or local board website.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-12-22 - approval memo.95 [A04186 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-A04186-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4186--B Cal. No. 253 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 1, 2021 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ, SIMON, THIELE, GALEF, JACOBSON, OTIS, BARNWELL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- reported and referred to the Commit- tee on Ways and Means -- reported from committee, advanced to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place on the order of third reading AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to providing an online absentee ballot tracking system 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 8-414 2 to read as follows: 3 § 8-414. Online absentee ballot tracking system. 1. The state board of 4 elections shall establish and maintain an electronic absentee ballot 5 tracking system. In accordance with technical specifications provided by 6 the state board of elections, each local board of elections shall main- 7 tain an absentee ballot tracking system integrated with the state 8 board's system, and which may be integrated with the United States 9 postal service tracking system, to allow a voter who has submitted an 10 application for an absentee ballot to track the status of an absentee 11 application and an absentee ballot on the state board or local board 12 website. 13 2. Such website shall not require users to create an account but shall 14 require verification that the user is accessing his or her own record 15 through the inclusion of data identifying the voter and the board of 16 elections at which the voter is registered, and any other information 17 required by the state board of elections. 18 3. The ballot tracking system shall indicate to the voter if the 19 board: 20 (a) received such voter's application for an absentee ballot; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD05765-05-1A. 4186--B 2 1 (b) approved or rejected such application and, if rejected, an indi- 2 cation of the reason for such rejection; 3 (c) mailed or delivered an absentee ballot to such voter, the date of 4 such mailing or delivery, and the expected date of receipt; 5 (d) received the ballot back as undeliverable; 6 (e) received such voter's completed absentee ballot; 7 (f) determined the ballot envelope was subject to a cure; and 8 (g) counted or rejected such voter's completed absentee ballot and, if 9 rejected, a brief statement of the reason for rejection. 10 § 2. Nothing in section one of this act shall prevent a county board 11 of elections or the board of elections of the city of New York from 12 establishing a ballot tracking system prior to the effective date of 13 this act, provided, however, upon the establishment of the statewide 14 system required by section one of this act, all local ballot tracking 15 systems shall comply with section one of this act and be fully inte- 16 grated with the statewide system. Full integration with the statewide 17 system may be accomplished by boards of elections using their own ballot 18 tracking system by providing data to the state board of elections, in 19 the form and at intervals prescribed by the state board of elections, 20 provided that voters can access their tracking information in a secure, 21 user-friendly format approved by the state board of elections. 22 § 3. This act shall take effect January 1, 2022. Effective immediate- 23 ly, the state board of elections shall be authorized to promulgate any 24 rules or regulations required to carry out the provisions of this act 25 prior to such effective date.
