Bill Text: NY A05424 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: 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.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-06-10 - substituted by s4306b [A05424 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A05424-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         5424--A

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 16, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. TAYLOR -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on  Election  Law  --  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]
    19    (c) In counties with at least five hundred thousand registered voters,
    20  there shall be so designated at least one early voting polling place for
    21  every  full  increment  of  [fifty] forty thousand registered voters [in
    22  each county; provided, however,].

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03251-12-1
        A. 5424--A                          2

     1    (d) In all other counties with less than five hundred thousand  regis-
     2  tered  voters,  there  shall  be so designated at least one early voting
     3  polling place for every full increment  of  thirty  thousand  registered
     4  voters;  provided, however, the number of early voting polling places in
     5  [a  county]  counties  with  less  than five hundred thousand registered
     6  voters shall not be required to be greater than ten [unless required  by
     7  any  other provision of law, and a county with fewer than fifty thousand
     8  voters shall have at least one early voting polling place] nor less than
     9  one.
    10    [(b)] (e) For any special, primary  or  run-off  primary  election  at
    11  which  no  voters of the municipality with the highest population within
    12  the county are eligible to vote, the board of elections may, in lieu  of
    13  having  an  early voting polling place in such municipality, designate a
    14  polling place for early voting in  the  municipality  with  the  highest
    15  population  within  the  county  within which the voters are eligible to
    16  vote at such special, primary, or run-off primary election.
    17    [(c)] (f) The board of elections of each county or  the  city  of  New
    18  York  may establish additional polling places for early voting in excess
    19  of the minimum number required by this subdivision for  the  convenience
    20  of eligible voters.
    21    [(d)]  (g)  Notwithstanding  the  minimum  number of early voting poll
    22  sites otherwise required by this subdivision, for any primary or special
    23  election, upon majority vote of the board of elections,  the  number  of
    24  early voting sites may be reduced when the board of elections determines
    25  a  lesser  number  of  sites  is  sufficient  to meet the needs of early
    26  voters.
    27    [(e)] (h) Polling places for early voting shall  be  located  so  that
    28  voters  in  the  county  have adequate and equitable access, taking into
    29  consideration population density, travel  time  to  the  polling  place,
    30  proximity  to  other  early  voting  poll  sites,  public transportation
    31  routes, commuter traffic patterns and such other factors  the  board  of
    32  elections  deems  appropriate.  The  provisions of section 4-104 of this
    33  chapter, except subdivisions four and five of such section, shall  apply
    34  to  the  designation  of  polling  places for early voting except to the
    35  extent such provisions are inconsistent with this section.
    36    § 3. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 4 of section 8-600 of  the  election
    37  law,  as  added  by chapter 6 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as
    38  follows:
    39    (c) Polls shall be open for early voting for  at  least  [five]  eight
    40  hours between nine o'clock in the morning and [six] eight o'clock in the
    41  evening  on  each  Saturday,  Sunday  and legal holiday during the early
    42  voting period.
    43    § 4. This act shall take effect April 1, 2022 and shall apply  to  any
    44  general, primary, run-off primary, or special election held thereafter.