S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6493
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              March 19, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. DICKENS, DARLING, GOTTFRIED, JEAN-PIERRE, RICH-
   ARDSON, SAYEGH, STIRPE, SIMON, TAYLOR -- Multi-Sponsored by --  M.  of
   A.  COOK, GRIFFIN, RAMOS -- read once and referred to the Committee on
   Election Law
 
 AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to email notification of a
   change in location of a polling place

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  2  of  section  4-104 of the election law is
 amended to read as follows:
   2. If the board of elections, after designating a polling  place,  and
 after  sending  written  notice of such polling place to each registered
 voter, designates an alternative polling place, it must, at  least  five
 days  before the next election or day for registration, send by mail AND
 EMAIL a written notice to each registered voter notifying him OR HER  of
 the changed location of such polling place. If such notice is not possi-
 ble  the  board  of  elections  must  provide for an alternative form of
 notice to be given to voters at the location  of  the  previous  polling
 place.
   §  2.  Paragraph (a) of subdivision 5 of section 4-104 of the election
 law, as amended by chapter 438 of the laws of 2019, is amended  to  read
 as follows:
   (a)  Whenever  the number of voters eligible to vote in an election in
 any election district is less than one hundred, the polling place desig-
 nated for such district may be the polling place of any  other  district
 which  could  properly  be  designated as the polling place of the first
 mentioned district pursuant to the provisions of  this  chapter,  except
 that the polling place designated for any such district may be the poll-
 ing  place  of any other district in such city or town provided that the
 distance from such first mentioned district to  the  polling  place  for
 such other district is not unreasonable pursuant to rules or regulations

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

                                                            LBD02399-02-1

 A. 6493                             2
 
 prescribed  by  the state board of elections and provided that the total
 number of persons eligible to  vote  in  such  other  district  in  such
 election, including the persons eligible to vote in such first mentioned
 districts, is not more than five hundred. The inspectors of election and
 poll  clerks,  if any, of such other election district shall also act in
 all respects as the election officers for such first mentioned districts
 and no other inspectors shall be appointed to serve in or for such first
 mentioned districts. A separate poll ledger or computer generated regis-
 tration list, separate voting machine or ballots and separate canvass of
 results shall be provided for such  first  mentioned  districts,  except
 that if the candidates and ballot proposals to be voted on by the voters
 of such districts are the same, the election districts shall be combined
 and  shall  constitute  a  single  election  district for that election.
 However, if the first mentioned district contains fewer than ten  voters
 eligible  to  vote in such election, there shall be no limitation on the
 total number of persons eligible to vote in such combined  district.  If
 the  polling  place for any election district is moved for any election,
 pursuant to the provisions of this subdivision, the board  of  elections
 shall,  not  later  than  ten  nor  more  than  fifteen days before such
 election, mail, by first class mail, to each voter eligible to  vote  in
 such  election  district  at  such  election, a notice setting forth the
 location of the polling place for such election and specifying that such
 location is for such election only, AND EMAIL THE SAME  NOTIFICATION  TO
 ANY VOTER THAT HAS SUPPLIED THE BOARD WITH A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS.
   §  3.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
 have become a law.