BILL NUMBER: S5428A

SPONSOR: MYRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the election law, in relation to
obtaining written consent from candidates for certain county committees

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends Section 6-134 of the election law by adding a new
subdivision 14 to require county committee candidates to provide their
written acceptance to be designated on a petition for to the position of
county committee member in cities with a population of one million or
more, and requires such acceptance to be filed to the board of elections
within ten days from the filing of such designating petition.

Section 2 provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In our country, political parties are governed at all levels by commit-
tees of citizens chosen by their peers. While individual party rules
              

dictate the responsibilities of committee members, in New York, at the
local level, county committee members are typically responsible for
organizing fellow party members, creating the party's platform, and
nominating the party's candidate in special elections for the state
legislature.

Because county committees play such a vital role in our state's demo-
cratic process by providing a framework for community members to get
involved in electoral politics, we must ensure that the system by which
committee candidates gain their seats is ethical and trustworthy.

In August 2018 New York Times reporting uncovered multiple instances in
which individuals were unwittingly nominated for positions on the Queens
county committee. Surprisingly, the dishonest practice of nominating
unwitting candidates, which invades the privacy of these individuals and
undermines the democratic process by shutting out willing candidates, is
not considered a violation by the state board of elections.

To certify that candidates for county committee are running for these
important positions of their own volition, this legislation requires
county committee candidates in cities of one million or more to provide
to the state board of elections their written consent to be nominated
for county committee membership.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately after becoming law.