Bill Text: NY S08034 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires the county seat in Herkimer county to have at least one polling place designated for early voting.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-20 - REFERRED TO ELECTIONS [S08034 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S08034-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8034

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 20, 2022
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sen. OBERACKER -- 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 requiring the county
          seat in Herkimer county to have at least one polling place  designated
          for early voting

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 8-600  of  the  election  law,  as
     2  amended  by  chapter  781  of  the  laws  of 2021, is amended to read as
     3  follows:
     4    2. (a) The board of elections shall designate polling places for early
     5  voting, which may include the offices of the  board  of  elections,  for
     6  persons to vote early pursuant to this title.
     7    (b)  The  largest  city  in  the county or, if there is no city in the
     8  county, the municipality with the  highest  population  in  each  county
     9  based  on  the  latest  federal  decennial census, or the county seat in
    10  Washington county, or the county seat in Herkimer county, shall have  at
    11  least  one  polling place designated for early voting, and to the extent
    12  practicable if such  city  or  municipality  has  public  transportation
    13  routes,  such  polling place shall be situated along such transportation
    14  routes.
    15    (c) In counties with at least five hundred thousand registered voters,
    16  there shall be so designated at least one early voting polling place for
    17  every full increment of forty thousand registered voters.
    18    (d) In all other counties with less than five hundred thousand  regis-
    19  tered  voters,  there  shall  be so designated at least one early voting
    20  polling place for every full increment  of  thirty  thousand  registered
    21  voters;  provided, however, the number of early voting polling places in
    22  counties with less than five hundred thousand  registered  voters  shall
    23  not be required to be greater than ten nor less than one.
    24    (e)  For  any special, primary or run-off primary election at which no
    25  voters of the municipality with the highest population within the county
    26  are eligible to vote, the board of elections may, in lieu of  having  an
    27  early  voting  polling  place  in such municipality, designate a polling

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13850-04-2
        S. 8034                             2

     1  place for early voting in the municipality with the  highest  population
     2  within  the  county within which the voters are eligible to vote at such
     3  special, primary, or run-off primary election.
     4    (f)  The board of elections of each county or the city of New York may
     5  establish additional polling places for early voting in  excess  of  the
     6  minimum  number  required  by  this  subdivision  for the convenience of
     7  eligible voters.
     8    (g) Notwithstanding the minimum number  of  early  voting  poll  sites
     9  otherwise  required  by  this  subdivision,  for  any primary or special
    10  election, upon majority vote of the board of elections,  the  number  of
    11  early voting sites may be reduced when the board of elections determines
    12  a  lesser  number  of  sites  is  sufficient  to meet the needs of early
    13  voters.
    14    (h) Polling places for early voting shall be located so that voters in
    15  the county have adequate and equitable access, taking into consideration
    16  population density, travel time to the polling place, proximity to other
    17  early voting poll sites, public transportation routes, commuter  traffic
    18  patterns  and  such other factors the board of elections deems appropri-
    19  ate. The provisions of section 4-104 of this  chapter,  except  subdivi-
    20  sions  four  and five of such section, shall apply to the designation of
    21  polling places for early voting except to the extent such provisions are
    22  inconsistent with this section.
    23    § 2. This act shall take effect on the  same  date  and  in  the  same
    24  manner as section 2 of chapter 781 of the laws of 2021, takes effect.