S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2840
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 23, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  GALEF, PAULIN, ORTIZ, SCHIMMINGER, JAFFEE --
   Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of  A.  CAHILL,  COLTON,  DINOWITZ,  FARRELL,
   FINCH, GIGLIO, GOTTFRIED, GUNTHER, LIFTON, MAGEE, McDONOUGH, McKEVITT,
   RIVERA, THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  education  law, in relation to applications for
   absentee ballots for school district elections
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Paragraphs b, c, d, e, f and g of subdivision 2 of section
 2018-a of the education law, paragraph b as amended by  chapter  136  of
 the  laws  of  1991, paragraph c as amended by chapter 26 of the laws of
 1994, paragraph d as amended by chapter 72 of the laws  of  1988,  para-
 graphs e and f as added by chapter 219 of the laws of 1978 and paragraph
 g  as  amended by chapter 825 of the laws of 1984, are amended and a new
 paragraph h is added to read as follows:
   b. [(1) Where such duties, occupation, business,  or  studies  are  of
 such a nature as ordinarily to require such absence, a brief description
 of  such  duties, occupation, business, or studies shall be set forth in
 such application.  (2)  Where  such  duties,  occupation,  business,  or
 studies  are not of such a nature as ordinarily to require such absence,
 such application shall contain a statement of the special  circumstances
 on account of which such absence is required.
   c.  Where  the applicant expects in good faith to be absent on the day
 of the election because he will be on vacation elsewhere  on  such  day,
 such  application  shall also contain the dates upon which he expects to
 begin and end such vacation, the place or places where he expects to  be
 on  such  vacation, the name and address of his employer, if any, and if
 self-employed or retired, a statement to that effect.
   d. Where the absence is because of detention or confinement  to  jail,
 such  application  shall  state  whether  the voter is detained awaiting
 action of the grand jury or is confined after conviction for an  offense
 other than a felony.
   e.  Where a person is or would be, if he were a qualified voter, enti-
 tled  to  apply  for  the  right  to  vote  by absentee ballot under the
              

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01810-01-7

 A. 2840                             2

 provisions of this section, his spouse, parent or child, if a  qualified
 voter  and  a resident of the same school district, shall be entitled to
 vote as an absentee voter upon personally making and signing an applica-
 tion in accordance with the preceding provisions of this subdivision and
 showing that he expects to be absent from the school district on the day
 of  the school district election by reason of accompanying or being with
 the spouse, child or parent who is or would be, if he were  a  qualified
 voter,  so  entitled  to apply for the right to vote by absentee ballot,
 and, in the event no application  is  made  by  such  spouse,  child  or
 parent,  such  further  information  as  the board of registration shall
 require.
   f] A QUALIFIED VOTER MAY VOTE AS AN ABSENTEE VOTER UNDER THIS  SECTION
 IF  DURING  ALL  THE HOURS OF VOTING ON THE DAY OF AN ELECTION HE OR SHE
 WILL BE:
   (1) ABSENT FROM THE COUNTY OF HIS OR HER RESIDENCE; OR
   (2) UNABLE TO APPEAR AT THE POLLING PLACE BECAUSE OF ILLNESS OR  PHYS-
 ICAL  DISABILITY,  OR  DUTIES RELATED TO THE PRIMARY CARE OF ONE OR MORE
 INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE ILL OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED, OR  BECAUSE  HE  OR  SHE
 WILL BE OR IS A PATIENT IN A HOSPITAL; OR
   (3) AN INMATE OR PATIENT OF A VETERAN'S ADMINISTRATION HOSPITAL; OR
   (4)  ABSENT  FROM  HIS  OR  HER  VOTING RESIDENCE BECAUSE HE OR SHE IS
 DETAINED IN JAIL AWAITING ACTION BY A GRAND JURY OR AWAITING  TRIAL,  OR
 CONFINED  IN JAIL OR PRISON AFTER A CONVICTION FOR AN OFFENSE OTHER THAN
 A FELONY, PROVIDED THAT HE OR SHE IS QUALIFIED TO VOTE IN  THE  ELECTION
 DISTRICT OF HIS OR HER RESIDENCE.
   C.  EACH PERSON ENTITLED TO VOTE AS AN ABSENTEE VOTER PURSUANT TO THIS
 SECTION AND DESIROUS OF OBTAINING AN ABSENTEE BALLOT SHALL MAKE  WRITTEN
 APPLICATION  THEREFOR  TO  THE DISTRICT CLERK. APPLICATION FORMS FOR USE
 PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION SHALL BE IN A  FORM  PRESCRIBED  BY  THE  STATE
 BOARD  OF  ELECTIONS.  THE  USE  OF  ANY  APPLICATION WHICH IS ON A FORM
 PRESCRIBED BY THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS SHALL BE ACCEPTABLE.
   D. THE APPLICATION FOR AN ABSENTEE BALLOT WHEN FILED MUST  CONTAIN  IN
 EACH INSTANCE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
   (1)  APPLICANT'S  FULL  NAME,  DATE  OF  BIRTH, AND RESIDENCE ADDRESS,
 INCLUDING THE STREET AND NUMBER, IF ANY, RURAL DELIVERY ROUTE,  IF  ANY,
 MAILING  ADDRESS  IF DIFFERENT FROM THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS AND AN ADDRESS
 TO WHICH THE BALLOT SHALL BE MAILED.
   (2) A STATEMENT THAT THE  APPLICANT  IS  A  QUALIFIED  AND  REGISTERED
 VOTER.
   (3)  A STATEMENT, AS APPROPRIATE, THAT ON THE DAY OF SUCH ELECTION THE
 APPLICANT EXPECTS IN GOOD FAITH TO BE IN ONE OF  THE  FOLLOWING  CATEGO-
 RIES:
   (A) ABSENT FROM THE COUNTY OF HIS OR HER RESIDENCE; PROVIDED, HOWEVER,
 IF  THE  APPLICANT  EXPECTS TO BE ABSENT FROM SUCH COUNTY FOR A DURATION
 COVERING MORE THAN ONE ELECTION AND SEEKS AN ABSENTEE  BALLOT  FOR  EACH
 ELECTION,  HE  OR  SHE  SHALL  STATE THE DATES WHEN HE OR SHE EXPECTS TO
 BEGIN AND END SUCH ABSENCE; OR
   (B) UNABLE TO APPEAR AT A POLLING PLACE BECAUSE OF ILLNESS OR PHYSICAL
 DISABILITY OR DUTIES RELATED TO THE PRIMARY CARE OF ONE OR MORE INDIVID-
 UALS WHO ARE ILL OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED; OR
   (C) AN INMATE OR PATIENT OF A VETERAN'S ADMINISTRATION HOSPITAL; OR
   (D) DETAINED IN JAIL AWAITING ACTION BY A GRAND JURY OR AWAITING TRIAL
 OR CONFINED IN JAIL OR PRISON AFTER A CONVICTION FOR  AN  OFFENSE  OTHER
 THAN  A  FELONY  AND STATING THE PLACE WHERE HE OR SHE IS SO DETAINED OR
 CONFINED.

 A. 2840                             3
 
   E.   Such application shall include  the  following  statement  to  be
 signed by the voter.
   I hereby declare that the foregoing is a true statement to the best of
 my  knowledge  and  belief, and I understand that if I make any material
 false statement in the foregoing statement of application  for  absentee
 ballots, I shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
 
   Date.....................Signature of Voter ..........................
 
   [g] F.  An applicant whose ability to appear personally at the polling
 place  of the school district of which he OR SHE is a qualified voter is
 substantially impaired by reason of permanent illness or physical  disa-
 bility  and whose registration record has been marked "permanently disa-
 bled" by the board of  elections  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  the
 election law shall be entitled to receive an absentee ballot pursuant to
 the  provisions  of this section without making separate application for
 such absentee ballot, and the board of registration upon  being  advised
 by  the board of elections on or with the list of registered voters that
 the registration record of a  voter  is  marked  "permanently  disabled"
 shall  send  an  absentee ballot to such voter at his last known address
 with a request to the postal authorities not  to  forward  same  but  to
 return same in five days in the event that it cannot be delivered to the
 addressee.  The  board  of education shall determine whether such ballot
 shall be sent by first class or by  certified  mail.  All  such  ballots
 shall  be mailed in the same manner as determined by the board of educa-
 tion. The board of registration shall make an appropriate entry  on  the
 registration  indicating  the fact that an absentee ballot has been sent
 and the date of mailing.
   G. AN APPLICATION MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE DISTRICT  CLERK  NO  EARLIER
 THAN  THE THIRTIETH DAY BEFORE THE ELECTION FOR WHICH AN ABSENTEE BALLOT
 IS SOUGHT. IF THE APPLICATION  REQUESTS  THAT  THE  ABSENTEE  BALLOT  BE
 MAILED,  SUCH  APPLICATION  MUST  BE  RECEIVED NOT LATER THAN SEVEN DAYS
 BEFORE THE ELECTION. IF THE APPLICANT OR HIS OR HER AGENT  DELIVERS  THE
 APPLICATION  TO  THE  DISTRICT CLERK IN PERSON, SUCH APPLICATION MUST BE
 RECEIVED NOT LATER THAN THE DAY BEFORE THE ELECTION. THE DISTRICT  CLERK
 SHALL  EXAMINE EACH APPLICATION AND SHALL DETERMINE FROM THE INFORMATION
 CONTAINED THEREIN WHETHER THE APPLICANT IS QUALIFIED UNDER THIS  SECTION
 TO RECEIVE AN ABSENTEE BALLOT.
   H. NO LATER THAN SIX DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION FOR WHICH AN APPLICATION
 HAS  BEEN  RECEIVED  AND FOR WHICH THE DISTRICT CLERK HAS DETERMINED THE
 APPLICANT TO BE QUALIFIED TO VOTE BY ABSENTEE BALLOT THE DISTRICT  CLERK
 SHALL MAIL, BY REGULAR MAIL, AN ABSENTEE BALLOT TO EACH QUALIFIED APPLI-
 CANT  WHO  HAS  APPLIED  BEFORE SUCH DAY AND WHO HAS REQUESTED THAT SUCH
 ABSENTEE BALLOT BE MAILED TO HIM OR HER AT THE ADDRESS SET FORTH IN  HIS
 OR  HER  APPLICATION.  IF THE APPLICANT OR HIS OR HER AGENT DELIVERS THE
 APPLICATION TO THE DISTRICT CLERK IN PERSON AFTER THE SEVENTH DAY BEFORE
 THE ELECTION AND NOT  LATER  THAN  THE  DAY  BEFORE  THE  ELECTION,  THE
 DISTRICT  CLERK  SHALL FORTHWITH DELIVER SUCH ABSENTEE BALLOTS FOR THOSE
 APPLICANTS WHOM HE OR SHE DETERMINES ARE QUALIFIED TO MAKE SUCH APPLICA-
 TIONS AND TO RECEIVE SUCH BALLOTS TO SUCH APPLICANTS OR THE AGENTS NAMED
 IN THE APPLICATIONS  WHEN  SUCH  APPLICANTS  OR  AGENTS  APPEAR  IN  THE
 DISTRICT CLERK'S OFFICE.
   §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
 have become a law.