Bill Text: NY S05192 | 2023-2024 | 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 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO ELECTIONS [S05192 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S05192-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5192

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 27, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen. WALCZYK -- 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.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03615-01-3
        S. 5192                             2

     1    (e) For any special, primary or run-off primary election at  which  no
     2  voters of the municipality with the highest population within the county
     3  are  eligible  to vote, the board of elections may, in lieu of having an
     4  early voting polling place in such  municipality,  designate  a  polling
     5  place  for  early voting in the municipality with the highest population
     6  within the county within which the voters are eligible to vote  at  such
     7  special, primary, or run-off primary election.
     8    (f)  The board of elections of each county or the city of New York may
     9  establish additional polling places for early voting in  excess  of  the
    10  minimum  number  required  by  this  subdivision  for the convenience of
    11  eligible voters.
    12    (g) Notwithstanding the minimum number  of  early  voting  poll  sites
    13  otherwise  required  by  this  subdivision,  for  any primary or special
    14  election, upon majority vote of the board of elections,  the  number  of
    15  early voting sites may be reduced when the board of elections determines
    16  a  lesser  number  of  sites  is  sufficient  to meet the needs of early
    17  voters.
    18    (h) Polling places for early voting shall be located so that voters in
    19  the county have adequate and equitable access, taking into consideration
    20  population density, travel time to the polling place, proximity to other
    21  early voting poll sites, public transportation routes, commuter  traffic
    22  patterns  and  such other factors the board of elections deems appropri-
    23  ate. The provisions of section 4-104 of this  chapter,  except  subdivi-
    24  sions  four  and five of such section, shall apply to the designation of
    25  polling places for early voting except to the extent such provisions are
    26  inconsistent with this section.
    27    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.