Bill Text: NY S04135 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Amended

---

Bill Title: Provides that absentee ballots for all elections shall be made available in Braille and large print, upon request of a blind or visually impaired voter no less than 30 days prior to each election day.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-05-08 - PRINT NUMBER 4135B [S04135 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-S04135-Amended.html

---

                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                        4135--B
                              2013-2014 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                    March 12, 2013
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen.  LANZA  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Elections  --  committee
         discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
         to  said  committee  --  recommitted  to the Committee on Elections in
         accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --  committee  discharged,  bill
         amended,  ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
         tee
       AN ACT to amend the election law and the education law, in  relation  to
         making absentee ballots available in Braille and large-print
         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  7-107
    2  to read as follows:
    3    S 7-107. ABSENTEE BALLOTS IN BRAILLE AND LARGE-PRINT TO BE MADE AVAIL-
    4  ABLE.    1. ABSENTEE BALLOTS PRINTED IN BRAILLE AND LARGE-PRINT SHALL BE
    5  MADE AVAILABLE UPON THE REQUEST OF ANY REGISTERED VOTER WHO IS BLIND  OR
    6  VISUALLY  IMPAIRED.    PERSONS WISHING TO RECEIVE BRAILLE OR LARGE-PRINT
    7  ABSENTEE BALLOTS MUST GIVE NOTICE THEREOF TO THE BOARD OF  ELECTIONS  NO
    8  LESS  THAN THIRTY DAYS PRIOR TO EACH ELECTION DAY TO ENABLE THE BOARD TO
    9  PREPARE AND DISTRIBUTE SUCH BALLOTS.
   10    2. THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS SHALL PROMULGATE RULES FOR THE  PREPA-
   11  RATION,  DISTRIBUTION,  CASTING,  AND CANVASS OF BRAILLE AND LARGE-PRINT
   12  ABSENTEE BALLOTS.   THE STATE  BOARD  OF  ELECTIONS  SHALL  DEVELOP  THE
   13  INITIAL  FORMAT FOR BOTH BRAILLE AND LARGE-PRINT BALLOTS IN CONSULTATION
   14  WITH AT LEAST THREE NEW YORK STATE ORGANIZATIONS WITH EXPERTISE  IN  THE
   15  FIELD  OF ADVOCACY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND SUCH OTHER APPROPRI-
   16  ATE PERSONS, GROUPS, ENTITIES OR ORGANIZATIONS AS  THE  STATE  BOARD  OF
   17  ELECTIONS  SHALL  DETERMINE.  FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS SECTION, "BRAILLE"
   18  REFERS TO GRADE TWO BRAILLE AND "LARGE-PRINT" REFERS TO A FONT OF  EIGH-
   19  TEEN  POINT OR LARGER.  UPON THE PRINTING OF A BRAILLE BALLOT, THE BOARD
   20  OF ELECTIONS SHALL REQUIRE SUCH BRAILLE BALLOT  TO  BE  PROOFREAD  BY  A
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD05514-10-4
       S. 4135--B                          2
    1  QUALIFIED  BRAILLE READER.  THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS SHALL ESTABLISH
    2  THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR A BRAILLE BALLOT PROOFREADER IN CONSULTA-
    3  TION WITH AT LEAST THREE NEW YORK STATE ORGANIZATIONS WITH EXPERTISE  IN
    4  THE FIELD OF ADVOCACY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND SUCH OTHER APPRO-
    5  PRIATE  PERSONS,  GROUPS,  ENTITIES OR ORGANIZATIONS AS SUCH BOARD SHALL
    6  DETERMINE.
    7    S 2. The education law is amended by adding a new  section  2022-a  to
    8  read as follows:
    9    S  2022-A. BALLOTS IN BRAILLE AND LARGE-PRINT TO BE MADE AVAILABLE. 1.
   10  ABSENTEE BALLOTS PRINTED IN BRAILLE AND LARGE-PRINT SHALL BE MADE AVAIL-
   11  ABLE UPON THE REQUEST OF ANY REGISTERED VOTER WHO IS BLIND  OR  VISUALLY
   12  IMPAIRED.  PERSONS  WISHING  TO RECEIVE BRAILLE AND LARGE-PRINT ABSENTEE
   13  BALLOTS MUST GIVE NOTICE THEREOF NO LESS THAN THIRTY DAYS PRIOR TO  EACH
   14  ELECTION DAY TO ENABLE PREPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF SUCH BALLOTS.
   15    2.   THE  COMMISSIONER,  IN  CONSULTATION  WITH  THE  STATE  BOARD  OF
   16  ELECTIONS, SHALL PROMULGATE RULES  FOR  THE  PREPARATION,  DISTRIBUTION,
   17  CASTING,  AND  CANVASS  OF BRAILLE AND LARGE-PRINT ABSENTEE BALLOTS. THE
   18  DEPARTMENT SHALL DEVELOP THE INITIAL FORMAT FOR BOTH BRAILLE AND  LARGE-
   19  PRINT  BALLOTS IN CONSULTATION WITH AT LEAST THREE NEW YORK STATE ORGAN-
   20  IZATIONS WITH EXPERTISE IN THE FIELD OF ADVOCACY FOR PEOPLE  WITH  DISA-
   21  BILITIES  AND  SUCH  OTHER  APPROPRIATE  PERSONS,  GROUPS,  ENTITIES  OR
   22  ORGANIZATIONS AS SUCH BOARD SHALL DETERMINE. FOR THE  PURPOSES  OF  THIS
   23  SECTION,  "BRAILLE" REFERS TO GRADE TWO BRAILLE AND "LARGE-PRINT" REFERS
   24  TO A FONT OF EIGHTEEN POINT OR LARGER. UPON THE PRINTING  OF  A  BRAILLE
   25  BALLOT,  SUCH  BRAILLE  BALLOT SHALL BE PROOFREAD BY A QUALIFIED BRAILLE
   26  READER. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ESTABLISH THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR  A
   27  BRAILLE  BALLOT PROOFREADER IN CONSULTATION WITH AT LEAST THREE NEW YORK
   28  STATE ORGANIZATIONS WITH EXPERTISE IN THE FIELD OF ADVOCACY  FOR  PEOPLE
   29  WITH  DISABILITIES  AND SUCH OTHER APPROPRIATE PERSONS, GROUPS, ENTITIES
   30  OR ORGANIZATIONS AS SUCH DEPARTMENT SHALL DETERMINE.
   31    S 3. This act shall take effect on the first of December next succeed-
   32  ing the date on which it shall have become a law; provided  that  effec-
   33  tive  immediately,  the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or
   34  regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective
   35  date are authorized to be made on or before such effective date.