NY State Senate Bill 2021-S4210

Senate Bill S4210

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Provides that absentee ballots for all elections shall be made available in Braille, upon request of a blind or visually impaired voter

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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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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 05, 2022	referred to elections
May 11, 2021	reported and committed to finance
Feb 02, 2021	referred to elections

Votes

- May 10, 2021 - Elections Committee Vote
  S4210
  
  7
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Elections Committee Vote: May 10, 2021
      
      aye (7)
      
      Brouk
      
      Kavanagh
      
      May
      
      Mayer
      
      Myrie
      
      Rath III
      
      Ritchie

co-Sponsors

2021-S4210 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Elections
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Add §7-107, El L; add §2022-a, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2015-2016: S5085
2017-2018: S4786, S8775
2019-2020: S3447

2021-S4210 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides that absentee ballots for all elections shall be made available in Braille and large print, upon request of a blind or visually impaired voter no less than 30 days prior to each election day.

2021-S4210 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S4210

SPONSOR: STAVISKY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the election law and the education law, in relation to
making absentee ballots available in Braille and large-print

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To make absentee ballots available in Braille and large-print

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Provides that absentee ballots for all elections shall be made available
in Braille and large print, upon request of a blind or visually impaired
voter no less than 30 days prior to each Election Day.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

This act will enable blind and visually impaired persons to request and
receive Braille or large-print absentee ballots. While the adoption and
implementation of technologically advanced ballot marking devices with
optical scanners has marked a new milestone for accessibility of in-per-
son voting for individuals with disabilities, currently, blind or visu-
ally impaired people must have someone assist them in filling out absen-
tee ballots because such ballots are not produced in accessible formats.
This interferes with the rights of blind or visually impaired people to
vote independently.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

Introduced in a previous legislative session.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

There will be minimal costs associated with the production of the
Braille and large-print ballots.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of December next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law; provided, however that effec-
tive immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or
regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective
date are authorized to be made on or before such effective date.

2021-S4210 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4210
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 2, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  STAVISKY, GAUGHRAN, LIU -- read twice and ordered
   printed, and  when  printed  to  be  committed  to  the  Committee  on
   Elections
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the election law and the education law, in relation to
   making absentee ballots available in Braille and large-print

   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 7-107
 to read as follows:
   § 7-107. ABSENTEE BALLOTS IN BRAILLE AND LARGE-PRINT TO BE MADE AVAIL-
 ABLE.  1. ABSENTEE BALLOTS PRINTED IN BRAILLE AND LARGE-PRINT  SHALL  BE
 MADE  AVAILABLE UPON THE REQUEST OF ANY REGISTERED VOTER WHO IS BLIND OR
 VISUALLY IMPAIRED.  PERSONS WISHING TO RECEIVE  BRAILLE  OR  LARGE-PRINT
 ABSENTEE  BALLOTS  MUST GIVE NOTICE THEREOF TO THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS NO
 LESS THAN THIRTY DAYS PRIOR TO EACH ELECTION DAY TO ENABLE THE BOARD  TO
 PREPARE AND DISTRIBUTE SUCH BALLOTS.
   2.  THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS SHALL PROMULGATE RULES FOR THE PREPA-
 RATION, DISTRIBUTION, CASTING, AND CANVASS OF  BRAILLE  AND  LARGE-PRINT
 ABSENTEE  BALLOTS.    THE  STATE  BOARD  OF  ELECTIONS SHALL DEVELOP THE
 INITIAL FORMAT FOR BOTH BRAILLE AND LARGE-PRINT BALLOTS IN  CONSULTATION
 WITH  AT  LEAST THREE NEW YORK STATE ORGANIZATIONS WITH EXPERTISE IN THE
 FIELD OF ADVOCACY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND SUCH OTHER  APPROPRI-
 ATE  PERSONS,  GROUPS,  ENTITIES  OR ORGANIZATIONS AS THE STATE BOARD OF
 ELECTIONS SHALL DETERMINE. FOR THE PURPOSE OF  THIS  SECTION,  "BRAILLE"
 REFERS  TO GRADE TWO BRAILLE AND "LARGE-PRINT" REFERS TO A FONT OF EIGH-
 TEEN POINT OR LARGER.  UPON THE PRINTING OF A BRAILLE BALLOT, THE  BOARD
 OF  ELECTIONS  SHALL  REQUIRE  SUCH  BRAILLE BALLOT TO BE PROOFREAD BY A
 QUALIFIED BRAILLE READER.  THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS SHALL  ESTABLISH
 THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR A BRAILLE BALLOT PROOFREADER IN CONSULTA-
 TION  WITH AT LEAST THREE NEW YORK STATE ORGANIZATIONS WITH EXPERTISE IN
 THE FIELD OF ADVOCACY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND SUCH OTHER APPRO-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD06547-01-1

 S. 4210                             2
 
 PRIATE PERSONS, GROUPS, ENTITIES OR ORGANIZATIONS AS  SUCH  BOARD  SHALL
 DETERMINE.
   §  2.  The  education law is amended by adding a new section 2022-a to
 read as follows:
   § 2022-A. BALLOTS IN BRAILLE AND LARGE-PRINT TO BE MADE AVAILABLE.  1.
 ABSENTEE BALLOTS PRINTED IN BRAILLE AND LARGE-PRINT SHALL BE MADE AVAIL-
 ABLE  UPON  THE REQUEST OF ANY REGISTERED VOTER WHO IS BLIND OR VISUALLY
 IMPAIRED. PERSONS WISHING TO RECEIVE BRAILLE  AND  LARGE-PRINT  ABSENTEE
 BALLOTS  MUST GIVE NOTICE THEREOF NO LESS THAN THIRTY DAYS PRIOR TO EACH
 ELECTION DAY TO ENABLE PREPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF SUCH BALLOTS.
   2.  THE  COMMISSIONER,  IN  CONSULTATION  WITH  THE  STATE  BOARD   OF
 ELECTIONS,  SHALL  PROMULGATE  RULES  FOR THE PREPARATION, DISTRIBUTION,
 CASTING, AND CANVASS OF BRAILLE AND LARGE-PRINT  ABSENTEE  BALLOTS.  THE
 DEPARTMENT  SHALL DEVELOP THE INITIAL FORMAT FOR BOTH BRAILLE AND LARGE-
 PRINT BALLOTS IN CONSULTATION WITH AT LEAST THREE NEW YORK STATE  ORGAN-
 IZATIONS  WITH  EXPERTISE IN THE FIELD OF ADVOCACY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISA-
 BILITIES  AND  SUCH  OTHER  APPROPRIATE  PERSONS,  GROUPS,  ENTITIES  OR
 ORGANIZATIONS  AS  SUCH  BOARD SHALL DETERMINE. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS
 SECTION, "BRAILLE" REFERS TO GRADE TWO BRAILLE AND "LARGE-PRINT"  REFERS
 TO  A  FONT  OF EIGHTEEN POINT OR LARGER. UPON THE PRINTING OF A BRAILLE
 BALLOT, SUCH BRAILLE BALLOT SHALL BE PROOFREAD BY  A  QUALIFIED  BRAILLE
 READER.  THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ESTABLISH THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR A
 BRAILLE BALLOT PROOFREADER IN  CONSULTATION  WITH  THE  STATE  BOARD  OF
 ELECTIONS AND AT LEAST THREE NEW YORK STATE ORGANIZATIONS WITH EXPERTISE
 IN  THE  FIELD  OF  ADVOCACY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND SUCH OTHER
 APPROPRIATE PERSONS, GROUPS, ENTITIES OR ORGANIZATIONS AS  SUCH  DEPART-
 MENT SHALL DETERMINE.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of December next succeed-
 ing  the date on which it shall have become a law.  Effective immediate-
 ly, the addition, amendment and/or repeal  of  any  rule  or  regulation
 necessary  for  the implementation of this act on its effective date are
 authorized to be made on or before such effective date.

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Senate Bill S4210

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Sponsored By

Toby Ann Stavisky