Senate Bill S1227

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Establishes the crime of voter intimidation or harassment

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Codes 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

Do you support this bill?

Please enter your contact information

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.
Actions

co-Sponsors

2021-S1227 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Senate Codes
Law Section:
Penal Law
Laws Affected:
Add §240.78, Pen L; amd §5-106, El L
Versions Introduced in 2019-2020 Legislative Session:
S9006

2021-S1227 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes the crime of voter intimidation or harassment and prohibits persons who have been convicted of such crime from registering for or voting at an election.

2021-S1227 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2021-S1227 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1227
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 8, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. RITCHIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
 
 AN ACT to amend the penal law and  the  election  law,  in  relation  to
   establishing the crime of voter intimidation or harassment
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 240.78  to
 read as follows:
 § 240.78 VOTER INTIMIDATION OR HARASSMENT.
   A PERSON IS GUILTY OF VOTER INTIMIDATION OR HARASSMENT WHEN HE OR SHE,
 WITH  INTENT  TO  INFLUENCE HOW AN INDIVIDUAL VOTES IN AN ELECTION UNDER
 THE ELECTION LAW OR THE EDUCATION LAW OF THIS STATE:
   1. INTENTIONALLY HARASSES OR INTIMIDATES ANOTHER PERSON BY ENGAGING IN
 A COURSE OF CONDUCT OR BY COMMITTING ACTS WHICH  PLACE  SUCH  PERSON  IN
 REASONABLE FEAR OF PHYSICAL INJURY; OR
   2. THREATENS RETALIATION AGAINST SUCH INDIVIDUAL BASED ON THE INDIVID-
 UAL  VOTING  FOR A CERTAIN CANDIDATE, PROPOSITION OR BALLOT MEASURE. FOR
 THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION RETALIATION INCLUDES, BUT  IS  NOT  LIMITED
 TO,  CHANGES  TO  EMPLOYMENT  STATUS,  INCLUDING  CHANGES TO JOB TITLES,
 HOURS, OR WAGES.
   VOTER INTIMIDATION OR HARASSMENT IS A CLASS A MISDEMEANOR.
   § 2. Subdivision 2 of section 5-106 of the election law, as amended by
 chapter 373 of the laws of 1978, is amended to read as follows:
   2. No person who has been convicted of a felony pursuant to  the  laws
 of  this  state OR CONVICTED OF A MISDEMEANOR PURSUANT TO SECTION 240.78
 OF THE PENAL LAW, shall have the right to register for or  vote  at  any
 election  unless  he  OR SHE shall have been pardoned or restored to the
 rights of citizenship by the governor, or his OR HER maximum sentence of
 imprisonment has expired, or he OR SHE has been discharged from  parole.
 The  governor,  however,  may attach as a condition to any such pardon a
 provision that any such person shall not  have  the  right  of  suffrage
 until it shall have been separately restored to him OR HER.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.