BILL NUMBER: S6199

SPONSOR: MYRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the election law, in relation to obtaining written
consent from candidates for certain county committees

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends Section 6-134 of the election law by adding a new
subdivision 14 to require county committee candidates to provide their
written acceptance to be designated on a petition for the position of
the county committee member in cities with a population of one million
or more, and requires such acceptance to be filed to the board of
elections within ten days from the filing of the such designating peti-
tion.

Section 2 provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

              

In our country, political parties are governed at all levels by commit-
tees of citizens chosen by their peers. While individual party rules
dictate the responsibilities of committee members, in New York, at the
local level, county committee members are typically responsible for
organizing fellow party members, creating the party's platform, and
nominating the party's candidate in special elections for the state
legislature. Because county committees play such a vital role in our
state's democratic process by providing a framework for community
members to get involved in electoral politics, we must ensure that the
system by which committee candidates gain their seats is ethical and
trustworthy. In August 2018 New York Times reporting uncovered multiple
instances in which individuals were unwittingly nominated for positions
on the Queens county committee. Surprisingly, the dishonest practice of
nominating unwitting candidates, which invades the privacy of these
individuals and undermines the democratic process by shutting out will-
ing candidates, is not considered a violation by the state board of
elections. To certify that candidates for county committees are running
for these important positions of their own volition, this legislati on
requires county committee candidates in cities of one million or more to
provide to the state board of elections their written consent to be
nominated for county committee membership.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S326 of 2021-22: Referred to Elections / A4326: Referred to Election
Law. S5428A of 2019-20: Reported and Committed to Finance / A7488A:
Referred to Election Law.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately after becoming law.

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S6199B

SPONSOR: MYRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the election law, in relation to notifying candidates of
designation for certain county committees

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends Section 6-134 of the election law by adding a new
subdivision 14 to require that upon petition the Board of Elections must
inform all candidates of their designation as county committee candi-
dates and the process in which to accept or decline the aforementioned
designation.

Section 2 provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In our country, political parties are governed at all levels by commit-
tees of citizens chosen by their peers. While individual party rules
              

dictate the responsibilities of committee members, in New York, at the
local level, county committee members are typically responsible for
organizing fellow party members, creating the party's platform, and
nominating the party's candidate in special elections for the state
legislature. Because county committees play such a vital role in our
state's democratic process by providing a framework for community
members to get involved in electoral politics, we must ensure that the
system by which committee candidates gain their seats is ethical and
trustworthy. An August 2018 New York Times report uncovered multiple
instances in which individuals were unwittingly nominated for positions
on the Queens county committee.  Surprisingly, the dishonest practice of
nominating unwitting candidates, which invades the privacy of these
individuals and undermines the democratic process by shutting out will-
ing candidates, is not considered a violation by the state board of
elections. To certify that candidates for county committees are running
for these important positions of their own volition, this legislation
requires county committee candidates in cities of one million or more to
provide to the state board of elections their written consent to be
nominated for county committee membership.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S326 of 2021-22: Referred to Elections / A4326: Referred to Election
Law.

S5428A of 2019-20: Reported and Committed to Finance / A7488A:  Referred
to Election Law.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become law.