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 Section 6-162 of the election law is REPEALED and a new 2 section 6-162 is added to read as follows: 3 § 6-162.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