Bill Text: NY S04586 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Relates to instant run-off elections in cities with a population of one million or more.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2016-06-15 - referred to election law [S04586 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-S04586-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         4586--A
                               2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                     March 30, 2015
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sens.  LANZA, KRUEGER -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and when printed to be committed to  the  Committee  on  Elections  --
          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 committee
        AN  ACT to amend the election law, in relation to instant run-off voting
          in the city of New York; and to repeal certain provisions of such  law
          relating thereto
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Section 6-162 of the election law is  REPEALED  and  a  new
     2  section 6-162 is added to read as follows:
     3    §  6-162.  Primary;  New  York City, instant run-off voting. 1. In the
     4  city of New York, any city-wide primary  elections  for  the  office  of
     5  mayor, public advocate or comptroller, in which more than two candidates
     6  appear  on the ballot for the same office, shall be conducted by instant
     7  run-off voting.
     8    2. For the purposes of this section, the term "instant run-off voting"
     9  means an election in which voters may rank  up  to  five  candidates  in
    10  order  of  preference,  first, second and so on, and in which tabulation
    11  proceeds in up to two rounds as follows: If the candidate with the  most
    12  votes  receives  a vote total less than fifty percent plus one vote, the
    13  two candidates with the most votes proceed to a second round of  ballot-
    14  counting.  In  such  second  round, each ballot is counted as a vote for
    15  whichever of the two advancing  candidates  is  ranked  higher  by  that
    16  voter.  Any ballot that does not rank either of the two advancing candi-
    17  dates  shall  not be counted in the second round. The candidate with the
    18  most votes in the second round shall be declared the winner.
    19    3. That portion of the ballot pertaining  to  elections  conducted  by
    20  instant  run-off  voting shall allow a voter to rank candidates in order
    21  of choice in a way that is  clear  and  easy  to  understand  and  shall
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02091-02-6