Bill Text: NY S01928 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires the use of a simple and easy to read typeface on paper ballots.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-08 - REFERRED TO ELECTIONS [S01928 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-S01928-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         1928
                              2013-2014 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                      (PREFILED)
                                    January 9, 2013
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen. ADDABBO -- 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 the typeface to be used
         on paper ballots
         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  7-106 of the election law is
    2  amended and a new subdivision 2-a is added to read as follows:
    3    2. All paper ballots of the same kind for the same polling place shall
    4  be identical. A different, but in each case uniform style  and  size  of
    5  SIMPLE  AND  EASY  TO READ type, SUCH AS ARIAL OR UNIVERS, shall be used
    6  for printing the names of candidates, the titles of  offices,  political
    7  designations, and the reading form of all questions submitted. The names
    8  of candidates shall be printed in INITIAL capital FOLLOWED BY LOWER CASE
    9  letters   [in   black-faced]   OF   NOT  LESS  THAN  TWELVE  POINT  BOLD
   10  (BLACK-FACED) type.
   11    2-A. THE NEW YORK STATE, NEW YORK  CITY,  AND  THE  COUNTY  BOARDS  OF
   12  ELECTIONS  FOR  THE  COUNTIES  OF  NASSAU, SUFFOLK, WESTCHESTER AND ERIE
   13  SHALL AT ALL TIMES HAVE ONE FULL TIME EMPLOYEE ON  STAFF  WHO  IS  FULLY
   14  TRAINED  IN  EFFECTIVE BALLOT DESIGN AND BALLOT USABILITY. SUCH EMPLOYEE
   15  OF THE STATE BOARD SHALL BE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST TO ADVISE  ALL  COUN-
   16  TIES  ON  THE  PROPOSED  DESIGN  AND  USABILITY OF THEIR BALLOTS FOR ALL
   17  PRIMARY, GENERAL AND SPECIAL ELECTIONS.
   18    S 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next  succeed-
   19  ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD02193-01-3