Monday, January 14, 2019

NYS Legislature's Passed Pro-Voter Package of Election Reform Bills


She New York State Legislature, Passed a Package of Election Reforms that will Improve Access to Fundamental Rights for the Benefit of ALL Eligible New Yorkers and finally begin to modernize New York's Voting Laws.

The Voting Reform Package includes:

Early Voting during a 10-day Period that includes 2 Weekends and Evening Voting Hours (A780 / S1102)

This framework provides New York’s diverse 62 Counties with the flexibility to distribute resources in a manner tailored to constituent needs, while ensuring a basic level of early voting to ensure access to the ballot. Board of Elections safeguards will prevent early voters from casting multiple ballots in the same election. Ballots cast during the early voting period will not be canvassed until the final hour prior to the close of the polls on Election Day and no election results or unofficial tabulations may be released or viewed prior to the close of polls.

Consolidating Multiple Federal and State Primaries (A779 / S1103)

Consolidating New York State and Federal Primary Elections so that they are held on the same Date in June will:

(1) Ensure that Military Personnel and Americans Living Abroad have a fair Opportunity to Vote.

(2) Result in Greater, more Streamlined Voter Participation.

(3) Achieve Significant Costs Savings.


Youth Voter Preregistration Opportunities for 16- and 17-year-olds (A774 / S1100)

Statewide Voter Registration Portability ( A775 / S1099)

Current New York Voters stay Registered when they Move within the State.

Registration Portability is a key aspect of Registration Modernization. Once an Eligible Resident is on New York’s Voter Rolls, they will remain Registered as long as they continue to be Eligible to Vote and Reside in New York.


Same Day, One Stop Registration and Voting (A1048 / S777) Constitutional Amendment & (S3235-2018 or S7005-2018 Statutory Companion Bill)

Begins to Remedy NY's Premature 25-day Voter Registration Deadline, requires Passage during 2021-22 Session as well.

Universal Absentee Voting NYS Constitutional Amendment (A778 / S1049)

To provide All Eligible Voters with the Option to Vote Absentee without the need to Provide an Excuse, requires Passage during 2021-22 session as well.

Closing LLC Loophole

A Campaign Finance anomaly that Permits LLCs and those Who Control them to Circumvent Limits on Political Contributions. Haven't seen Final Language, but it should make the Owner's of LLC to Combine all the LLC's to Match the Total allowable Contribution.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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1 comment:

richardwinger said...

These are mostly good bills but A779 injures voting rights. It moves the petition deadline for independent candidates, and the nominees of unqualified parties, from August to May. This violates the US Supreme Court decision Anderson v Celebrezze. I am surprised that no New York voting rights activists noticed this flaw in the bill.

Many important independent presidential candidates had not even entered the race as early as May, including Robert La Follette in 1924 (he declared on July 4), Strom Thurmond in 1948 (he declared in mid-July), Congressman William Lemke of the Union Party in 1936 (he declared in June), and Evan McMullin in 2016 (he declared in August).