NY State Senate Bill 2019-S7785

Senate Bill S7785

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Establishes the misdemeanor of interfering in the election process by electronic means

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Feb 20, 2020	referred to elections

2019-S7785 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Elections
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Add §17-158, El L
Versions Introduced in 2021-2022 Legislative Session:: S118

2019-S7785 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes the misdemeanor of interfering in the election process by electronic means.

2019-S7785 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S7785

SPONSOR: KAPLAN
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the election law, in relation to establishing the misde-
meanor of interfering in the election process by electronic means

 
PURPOSE:

This legislation creates the crime of interfering in the election proc-
ess by electronic means.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends section 17-158 of the election law to create the crime
of interfering in the election process by electronic means. Specifically
when a person with intent to interfere in an election places or causes
to be place multiple calls, texts, emails, faxes, or application commu-
nications, with the goal of obstructing, preventing, or interfering with
either the reporting of poll results, receipt of poll results, communi-

cations encouraging people to vote, or interfering with the ability to
arrange transportation to polling places is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Section 2 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

At a time when we are expanding opportunities and making it easier for
individuals to vote, we are unfortunately faced with unscrupulous indi-
viduals who are trying to take significant steps towards limiting an
individual's ability to vote, or purposefully causing havoc with the
electoral process. Purposefully flooding the phone lines of those
providing rides to poll sites is underhanded and only has one goal in
mind, voter suppression of those individuals. We must fight against
these individuals to make sure all the gains we have achieved in New
York remain, that groups do not find loopholes and use technology for
ill gotten voter suppression and obstruction of the electoral process.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

None.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day.

2019-S7785 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7785
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 20, 2020
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  KAPLAN -- 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 establishing the misde-
   meanor of interfering in the election process by electronic means
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1. The election law is amended by adding a new section 17-158
 to read as follows:
   § 17-158. INTERFERING IN THE ELECTION PROCESS BY ELECTRONIC MEANS. ANY
 PERSON WHO, WITH INTENT TO INTERFERE WITH AN ELECTION, PLACES OR  CAUSES
 TO  BE PLACED, MULTIPLE CALLS BY TELEPHONE OR OTHER ELECTRONIC MEANS, OR
 SENDS OR CAUSES TO BE SENT,  MULTIPLE  MESSAGES  BY  TEXT,  EMAIL,  FAX,
 COMPUTER APPLICATION, TABLET APPLICATION, TELEPHONE APPLICATION OR OTHER
 ELECTRONIC  MEANS,  OR  ANY COMBINATION THEREOF, TO OBSTRUCT, PREVENT OR
 INTERFERE WITH:
   1. THE REPORTING OF POLL RESULTS BY ANY POLLING PLACE;
   2. THE RECEIPT OF POLL RESULTS BY A LOCAL OR STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS;
   3. THE ABILITY OF A POLITICAL OR PARTY ORGANIZATION TO PLACE CALLS  OR
 SEND MESSAGES USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO VOTE; OR
   4.  THE ABILITY OF A POLITICAL OR PARTY ORGANIZATION TO PLACE CALLS OR
 SEND MESSAGES USED FOR  THE  PURPOSE  OF  ARRANGING  TRANSPORTATION  FOR
 PEOPLE TO OR FROM THEIR POLLING PLACE, IS GUILTY OF A MISDEMEANOR.
   §  2.  This  act  shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
 have become a law.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD15383-02-0

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