NY State Senate Bill 2023-S6666

Senate Bill S6666

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Relates to no longer permitting the use of electronic absentee voting applications; repealer

download bill text pdf

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

Please enter your contact information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

A valid email address is required.

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

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2024	referred to elections
May 04, 2023	referred to elections

2023-S6666 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Elections
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Rpld §8-408, amd §8-400, El L

2023-S6666 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to no longer permitting the use of electronic absentee voting applications; repeals all provisions relating thereto.

2023-S6666 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S6666

SPONSOR: LANZA
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the election law, in relation to no longer permitting
the use of electronic absentee voting applications; and providing for
the repeal of certain provisions of such law relating thereto

 
PURPOSE:

To prevent election fraud and promote fair elections by no longer
permitting the use of electronic absentee voting applications

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section one repeals section 8-408 of the election law.

Section two amends subdivision 2 of section 8-400 of the election law,
as amended by chapters 273 and 746 of the laws of 2021, and paragraph
(e) as added by section 1 of part HH of chapter 55 of the laws of 2022.

Section three sets forth the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

This legislation is the result of a recommendation from a Richmond Coun-
ty Grand Jury report following an investigation by the Staten Island
District Attorney. The report concluded that criminal absentee ballot
activity was found in a primary race in Richmond County in 2021. This
legislation will improve and strengthen New York's Election Law with
respect to absentee ballots. It would eliminate electronic absentee
ballot application process and allow an application to be submitted on
paper with an ink signature. It requires that the applicants signature
match the signature on the voters registration form on file with the
Board of Elections. This measure is necessary to prevent such illegal
activity from occurring in New York State again. It will restore public
faith in the electoral process by safeguarding every citizen's precious
right to vote and ensure fair elections.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2023-S6666 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6666
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                May 4, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  LANZA  -- 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  no  longer  permitting
   the  use of electronic absentee voting applications; and providing for
   the repeal of certain provisions of such law relating thereto

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 8-408 of the election law is REPEALED.
   § 2. Subdivision 2 of section 8-400 of the election law, as amended by
 chapter  746  of  the laws of 2021, paragraphs (c) and (d) as separately
 amended by chapters 273 and 746 of the laws of 2021, and  paragraph  (e)
 as  added  by section 1 of part HH of chapter 55 of the laws of 2022, is
 amended to read as follows:
   2. A qualified voter desiring to vote at such election as an  absentee
 voter  for  any  reason  specified  in  subdivision one hereof must make
 application for an absentee ballot on a form to be obtained and filed as
 provided herein[,] OR by letter as provided in  paragraph  (d)  of  this
 subdivision[,  or  through  the  electronic  absentee ballot application
 transmittal system pursuant to section 8-408 of this title].
   (a) Application forms shall be furnished by and may be  obtained  from
 any  board of elections at any time until the day before such election[,
 or on the electronic absentee ballot  application  transmittal  system].
 Application  forms  shall also be supplied by the board of inspectors of
 the election district in which applicant is a qualified voter on all  of
 the days provided for local registration. In addition, application forms
 shall  be  supplied  upon  the  request of the person authorized to vote
 pursuant to this section, any such person's spouse, parent or  child,  a
 person  residing with the applicant as a member of his household, or the
 applicant's duly authorized agent. Application forms sent outside of the
 United States to a country other than Canada or Mexico,  shall  be  sent
 airmail.  Any  reference  to  "board  of  elections"  in  the  remaining
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD10848-01-3

 S. 6666                             2
 
 provisions of this section, except with respect to  the  furnishing  and
 obtaining  of applications for absentee ballots, means only the board of
 elections of the county or city in which the applicant  is  a  qualified
 voter.
   (b)  Applications  may  be filed with the board of elections[, through
 the electronic absentee ballot application  transmittal  system]  or  in
 person  with  the  board of inspectors of the election district in which
 the applicant is a qualified voter on one of the days provided for local
 registration.
   (c) All applications [requesting an absentee ballot by mail or through
 the electronic absentee ballot application transmittal system]  must  be
 [received  by]  MAILED  TO  the  board  of  elections not later than the
 fifteenth  day  before  the  election  for  which  a  ballot  is   first
 requested[.  Applications  for an absentee ballot that will be delivered
 in person at the board of elections to the voter or to an agent  of  the
 voter must be received by] OR DELIVERED TO such board not later than the
 day before such election.
   (d)  The  board  of  elections  shall mail an absentee ballot to every
 qualified voter otherwise eligible for such a ballot, who requests  such
 an  absentee ballot from such board of elections in writing in a letter,
 telefax indicating the address, phone number and the telefax number from
 which the writing is sent or other written instrument, [or an electronic
 application submitted by  the  voter  through  the  electronic  absentee
 ballot  application transmittal system established by the state board of
 elections,] which is signed by the voter and received by  the  board  of
 elections not later than the fifteenth day before the election for which
 the  ballot  is  first  requested and which states the address where the
 voter is registered and the address to which the ballot is to be mailed;
 provided, however, a military voter may request  a  military  ballot  or
 voter  registration  application  or an absentee ballot application in a
 letter as provided in subdivision three of section 10-106 of this  chap-
 ter; and provided further, a special federal voter may request a special
 federal  ballot  or voter registration application or an absentee ballot
 application in a letter as provided in paragraph d of subdivision one of
 section 11-202 of this chapter. The board  of  elections  shall  enclose
 with such ballot a form of application for absentee ballot if the appli-
 cant is registered with such board of elections.
   (e)  When  mailing an absentee ballot application to a voter the board
 of elections shall provide a domestic postage paid return envelope. When
 providing an absentee ballot application to a voter in-person, the board
 of elections shall offer the voter a domestic postage paid return envel-
 ope and provide one if requested.
   § 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.