Bill Text: NY S00609 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced

New York Senate Bill 609 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Requires the use of a simple and easy to read typeface on paper ballots.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-01-05 - REFERRED TO ELECTIONS [S00609 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-S00609-Introduced.html

                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                          609
                              2011-2012 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                      (PREFILED)
                                    January 5, 2011
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen. ADDABBO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections
       AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to the typeface to be used
         on paper ballots
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1.  Subdivision  2  of  section  7-106 of the election law is
    2  amended and a new subdivision 2-a is added to read as follows:
    3    2. All paper ballots of the same kind for the same polling place shall
    4  be identical. A different, but in each case uniform style  and  size  of
    5  SIMPLE  AND  EASY  TO READ type, SUCH AS ARIAL OR UNIVERS, shall be used
    6  for printing the names of candidates, the titles of  offices,  political
    7  designations, and the reading form of all questions submitted. The names
    8  of candidates shall be printed in INITIAL capital FOLLOWED BY LOWER CASE
    9  letters   [in   black-faced]   OF   NOT  LESS  THAN  TWELVE  POINT  BOLD
   10  (BLACK-FACED) type.
   11    2-A. THE NEW YORK STATE, NEW YORK  CITY,  AND  THE  COUNTY  BOARDS  OF
   12  ELECTIONS  FOR  THE  COUNTIES  OF  NASSAU, SUFFOLK, WESTCHESTER AND ERIE
   13  SHALL AT ALL TIMES HAVE ONE FULL TIME EMPLOYEE ON  STAFF  WHO  IS  FULLY
   14  TRAINED  IN  EFFECTIVE BALLOT DESIGN AND BALLOT USABILITY. SUCH EMPLOYEE
   15  OF THE STATE BOARD SHALL BE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST TO REVIEW AND  ADVISE
   16  ALL  COUNTIES  ON THE PROPOSED DESIGN AND USABILITY OF THEIR BALLOTS FOR
   17  ALL PRIMARY, GENERAL AND SPECIAL ELECTIONS.
   18    S 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth  day  after  it  shall
   19  have become a law.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD06239-01-1