Bill Text: NY S06862 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced

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

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-03-20 - REFERRED TO ELECTIONS [S06862 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-S06862-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         6862
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                    March 20, 2014
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen.  LANZA  -- 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 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  Section  6-162  of the election law is REPEALED and a new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    S 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
   22  INCLUDE  THE OPPORTUNITY TO RANK NO MORE THAN ONE WRITE-IN CANDIDATE. TO
   23  THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, BALLOTS SHALL BE DESIGNED SO THAT A VOTER MAY  MARK
   24  THAT  VOTER'S FIRST CHOICE IN THE SAME MANNER AS FOR OFFICES NOT ELECTED
   25  BY INSTANT RUN-OFF VOTING.
   26    4. INSTRUCTIONS ON THE BALLOT FOR ELECTIONS CONDUCTED BY INSTANT  RUN-
   27  OFF  VOTING  MUST CONFORM SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATIONS,
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD08671-05-4
       S. 6862                             2
    1  SUBJECT TO MODIFICATION BASED ON BALLOT DESIGN,  USABILITY  TESTING  AND
    2  VOTING  MACHINES:  "VOTE  FOR CANDIDATES BY INDICATING YOUR FIRST-CHOICE
    3  CANDIDATE AND RANKING ADDITIONAL  CANDIDATES  IN  ORDER  OF  PREFERENCE.
    4  INDICATE  YOUR  FIRST  CHOICE BY INDICATING A NUMBER "1" BESIDE A CANDI-
    5  DATE'S NAME, YOUR SECOND CHOICE BY INDICATING  A  NUMBER  "2"  BESIDE  A
    6  CANDIDATE'S  NAME,  YOUR THIRD CHOICE BY MARKING THE NUMBER "3" BESIDE A
    7  CANDIDATE'S NAME AND SO ON. YOU MAY CHOOSE TO RANK ONLY  ONE  CANDIDATE,
    8  BUT RANKING ANOTHER CANDIDATE AS A LOWER CHOICE WILL NOT HURT YOUR FIRST
    9  CHOICE.  YOU  MAY  RANK THE SAME CANDIDATE MORE THAN ONCE, BUT THE ADDI-
   10  TIONAL RANKING DOES NOT HELP THAT CANDIDATE. DO NOT MARK THE SAME NUMBER
   11  BESIDE MORE THAN ONE CANDIDATE. DO NOT SKIP NUMBERS."
   12    5. THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, WITH THE APPROVAL OF  THE  STATE  BOARD  OF
   13  ELECTIONS,  MAY  PROVIDE  FOR THE USE OF MECHANICAL, ELECTRONIC OR OTHER
   14  DEVICES FOR SORTING AND COUNTING BALLOTS AND TABULATING RESULTS AND  MAY
   15  MODIFY THE FORM OF THE BALLOTS, AND THE METHOD OF SORTING, COUNTING, AND
   16  INVALIDATING  BALLOTS  AND  THE  TABULATING AND RECOUNTING OF VOTES WITH
   17  RESPECT TO OFFICES ELECTED BY INSTANT RUN-OFF VOTING, PROVIDED THAT  ANY
   18  CHANGE MADE SUBSTANTIALLY CONFORMS TO THIS CHAPTER.
   19    S  2.  Paragraph (c) of subdivision 2 of section 7-114 of the election
   20  law, as amended by chapter 234 of the laws of 1976, is amended  to  read
   21  as follows:
   22    (c)  On the front of the stub, above the perforated line at the top of
   23  the paper ballot shall be printed the same instructions as on the gener-
   24  al election ballot, AND ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS, IF ANY, REQUIRED  UNDER
   25  SECTION 6-162 OF THIS CHAPTER.
   26    S 3. This act shall take effect January 1, 2015.