Senate Bill S4469

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Relates to the use of school buildings as polling places

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current 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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2023-S4469 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A6271
Current Committee:
Senate Elections
Law Section:
Election Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §4-104, El L

2023-S4469 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides that if a school building is designated as a polling place, the board or body which controls such building shall provide a space that is not easily accessible to areas of the building where instructional activities are taking place, and if such a space cannot be provided that meets such criteria, the board or agency which controls such building shall cancel in-person instructional activities during the operating hours of such poll site.

2023-S4469 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S4469 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4469
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 9, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. MARTINEZ -- 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  the  use  of  school
   buildings as polling sites
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 4-104  of  the  election  law,  as
 amended  by  chapter  694  of  the  laws  of 1989, is amended to read as
 follows:
   3. A building exempt from taxation shall be used whenever possible  as
 a  polling  place if it is situated in the same or a contiguous election
 district, and may contain as many distinctly separate polling places  as
 public  convenience  may require. The expense, if any, incidental to its
 use, shall be paid like the expense of other places of registration  and
 voting. If a board or body empowered to designate polling places chooses
 a  public  school  building  for such purpose, the board or agency which
 controls such building must make available  a  room  or  rooms  in  such
 building which are suitable for registration and voting and which are as
 close  as  possible  to  a convenient entrance to such building and must
 make available any such room or rooms which the board or body  designat-
 ing  such  building  determines  are  accessible  to physically disabled
 voters as provided in subdivision one-a AND SHALL PROVIDE A  SPACE  THAT
 IS  NOT  EASILY  ACCESSIBLE TO AREAS OF THE BUILDING WHERE INSTRUCTIONAL
 ACTIVITIES ARE TAKING PLACE, IF SUCH A SPACE  CANNOT  BE  PROVIDED  THAT
 MEETS  SUCH  CRITERIA,  THE BOARD OR AGENCY WHICH CONTROLS SUCH BUILDING
 SHALL CANCEL IN-PERSON INSTRUCTIONAL  ACTIVITIES  DURING  THE  OPERATING
 HOURS OF SUCH POLL SITE.  Notwithstanding the provisions of any general,
 special  or local law, if a board or body empowered to designate polling
 places chooses a publicly owned or leased building, other than a  public
 school building, for such purposes the board or body which controls such
 building  must make available a room or rooms in such building which are
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07095-02-3

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