NY State Senate Bill 2021-S118

Senate Bill S118

2021-2022 Legislative Session

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

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Assembly 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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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 31, 2022	referred to election law delivered to assembly passed senate
May 17, 2022	advanced to third reading
May 16, 2022	2nd report cal.
May 11, 2022	1st report cal.1312
Jan 05, 2022	referred to elections
Jan 06, 2021	referred to elections

Votes

- May 31, 2022 - Floor Vote
  S118
  
  63
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Floor Vote: May 31, 2022
      
      aye (63)
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      Akshar
      
      Bailey
      
      Biaggi
      
      Borrello
      
      Boyle
      
      Breslin
      
      Brisport
      
      Brooks
      
      Brouk
      
      Cleare
      
      Comrie
      
      Cooney
      
      Felder
      
      Gallivan
      
      Gaughran
      
      Gianaris
      
      Gounardes
      
      Griffo
      
      Harckham
      
      Helming
      
      Hinchey
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Jackson
      
      Jordan
      
      Kaminsky
      
      Kaplan
      
      Kavanagh
      
      Kennedy
      
      Krueger
      
      Lanza
      
      Liu
      
      Mannion
      
      Martucci
      
      Mattera
      
      May
      
      Mayer
      
      Myrie
      
      O'Mara
      
      Oberacker
      
      Ortt
      
      Palumbo
      
      Parker
      
      Persaud
      
      Ramos
      
      Rath III
      
      Reichlin-Melnick
      
      Ritchie
      
      Rivera
      
      Ryan
      
      Salazar
      
      Sanders Jr.
      
      Savino
      
      Sepúlveda
      
      Serino
      
      Serrano
      
      Skoufis
      
      Stavisky
      
      Stec
      
      Stewart-Cousins
      
      Tedisco
      
      Thomas
      
      Weik
  May 11, 2022 - Elections Committee Vote
  S118
  
  6
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  1
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Elections Committee Vote: May 11, 2022
      
      aye (6)
      
      Kavanagh
      
      May
      
      Mayer
      
      Myrie
      
      Rath III
      
      Ritchie
      
      excused (1)
      
      Brouk

2021-S118 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A4581
Current Committee:: Assembly Election Law
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Add §17-158, El L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S7785
2023-2024: A1344

2021-S118 (ACTIVE) - Summary

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

2021-S118 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S118

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:

S. 7785 of 2019; referred to Elections Committee

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

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

2021-S118 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    118
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 6, 2021
                                ___________
 
 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.
                                                            LBD03323-01-1

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