Bill Text: NY S04306 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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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 11-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-12-22 - SIGNED CHAP.781 [S04306 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S04306-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         4306--A

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 3, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  GIANARIS,  BROOKS, HOYLMAN, JACKSON, KAPLAN, MAY,
          SKOUFIS, STAVISKY, THOMAS -- 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

        AN ACT to amend the election law, in  relation  to  enacting  the  "Make
          Voting  Easy  Act" to require that the board of elections designate at
          least one early voting polling place for every full increment of thir-
          ty-five thousand registered voters in each county and to expand  poll-
          ing site hours of operation during early voting

          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.  Paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of section 8-600 of the election
     4  law, as amended by chapter 74 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read as
     5  follows:
     6    (a) The board of elections shall designate polling  places  for  early
     7  voting,  which  may  include  the offices of the board of elections, for
     8  persons to vote early pursuant to this title;  provided,  however,  that
     9  the municipality with the highest population in each county based on the
    10  latest  federal decennial census, or the county seat in Washington coun-
    11  ty, shall have at least one polling place designated for  early  voting,
    12  and  to the extent practicable if such municipality has public transpor-
    13  tation routes, such polling place shall be situated along such transpor-
    14  tation routes. There shall be so designated at least  one  early  voting
    15  polling  place  for every full increment of [fifty] thirty-five thousand
    16  registered voters in each county;  provided,  [however,  the  number  of
    17  early  voting  polling  places  in  a county shall not be required to be
    18  greater than ten unless required by any other provision of law,  and]  a

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03251-04-1
        S. 4306--A                          2

     1  county with fewer than [fifty] thirty-five thousand voters shall have at
     2  least one early voting polling place.
     3    §  3. Paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of subdivision 4 of section 8-600 of
     4  the election law, as added by chapter 6 of the laws of 2019, are amended
     5  to read as follows:
     6    (a) Polls shall be open for early voting  for  at  least  eight  hours
     7  between  seven  o'clock  in  the morning and [eight] nine o'clock in the
     8  evening each week day during the early voting period.
     9    (b) At least one polling place for  early  voting  shall  remain  open
    10  until  [eight]  nine o'clock in the evening on at least [two] three week
    11  days in each calendar week during the early voting  period.  If  polling
    12  places  for early voting are limited to voters from certain areas pursu-
    13  ant to subdivision three of this section,  polling  places  that  remain
    14  open until [eight] nine o'clock shall be designated such that any person
    15  entitled  to vote early may vote until [eight] nine o'clock in the even-
    16  ing on at least [two] three week days during the early voting period.
    17    (c) Polls shall be open for early voting for at least [five] ten hours
    18  between nine o'clock in the morning and [six] nine o'clock in the  even-
    19  ing  on  each Saturday, Sunday and legal holiday during the early voting
    20  period.
    21    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately and  shall  apply  to  any
    22  general,  primary,  run-off primary, or special election held on January
    23  1, 2022 and thereafter.