BILL NUMBER: S6163

SPONSOR: METZGER
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend part BBB of chapter 55 of the laws of
2019 amending the election law relating to providing uniform polling
hours during primary elections, in relation to the effectiveness thereof

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To ensure that uniform primary hours, as expanded in the 2019-20 state
budget, are in place for the 2020 presidential primary election on April
28, 2020.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of this bill amends Section 2 of part BBB of chapter 55 of the
laws of 2019, relating to providing uniform polling hours during primary
elections, to read as follows: This act shall take effect on the first
of January after it shall have become a law and shall apply to any
election held 115 days after.

              

Section 2 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In the 2019-2020 Budget (Chapter 55 of 2019) the legislature made prima-
ry hours uniform across the state by ensuring poll sites in every county
are open from 6am until 9pm. Despite the well intentioned reform to
ensure all New York voters have the opportunity to vote in a primary
election, the effective date of this law is such that it would go into
effect two days after the 2020 presidential primary election on April
28, 2020. In recognition of the fact that presidential primaries feature
the highest turnout of voters of any primaries, this bill would change
the effective date of section 2 of part BBB of chapter 55 of the laws of
2019 to ensure that the 2 020 presidential primary includes the expanded
primary hours passed in the 2019-20 state budget.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.