VOTING AND ELECTION REFORM

The Huddle is working to make changes in New York and federal laws

to enfranchise voters and make voting easier and more secure.

How does the Huddle choose what our election priorities?

To choose what legislation and actions to take, the Huddle follows the lead of several voting rights and election reform organizations. As part of the Let NY Vote coalition, which is affiliated with the non-partisan voting rights organization Common Cause New York, we work on it's legislative priorities.

For detailed information about specific bills, go to the Huddle's 2024 Legislation Tracker.

Election Reform and Voting Rights

Summary of the New York 2024 legislative session

It was a rough session for election reform and voting rights. Of the bills that the Huddle tracked, only two passed in both houses. The Senate passed many bills, including their own Democracy package.

Some of the most important bills that would ensure election integrity and voters' rights did not pass. The VIVA NY bill, which would ensure the use of paper ballots, never left the Senate and Assembly election committees. The Food and Water bill, which would allow voters to be provided with water and snacks while waiting in line to vote, was passed by the Senate but never left the Assembly Election Law committee.

Of all the Let NY Vote and Common Cause NY priority bills, only one bill passed. As of 8/14/2024, this bill that will prohibit financial and professional conflicts of interests among BOE employees, is awaiting the governor's signature.

The Senate began the year passing an election reform package of nine bills and one resolution. One bill passed in both houses and has been signed by the governor: the Ballot Order bill will modify the order in which candidates appear on the ballot in descending order based on the size of the electorate and requires certain federal offices to be listed before state, county, and local offices.

Let NY Vote 2024 priorities

Require better notice to voters who are purged or put on inactive status (S6168/A6764)
Have NY join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), an interstate data sharing organization to help keep voter rolls clean (S6173B/A7052C)
The John L. Flateau Voting and Elections Database and Academic Center of NY Act (S657A/No Assembly bill)
Student Voter Empowerment Act that expands civic engagement practices for students (S9676/no assembly bill)
Democracy During Detention Act, which establishes the election infrastructure that makes voting accessible for all those eligible to vote who are detained in jails (S6875/A9612)
Ensuring the use of paper ballots, including VIVA (S6169A/A5934A)
Board of Elections reform (10 bills)

Common Cause New York 2024 priorities

Refreshments at polls (S616/A1346)
Early voting locations (S242/A6971)
County-wide poll sites (S5537A/A6939A)
Join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) (S6173A/A7052)
Voting integrity and verification act of New York (VIVA NY) (S6169A/A5934B)
Candidate disclosures: requires certain candidates to file a statement attesting to the veracity of statements regarding the candidate's educational history, and service, employment and residency record (S5884B/A5358B)
Nonpartisan poll monitoring (S5193A/A2408A)
Lobbyist disclosures (S2130/A1391)
Employer disclosures (S2362/A6542)
Expanded absentee voting (S7046/A3291)
Enacts the "forfeiture of campaign finance accounts and return of contributions act" (no senate bill/A5657)
State contract disclosure (S6247/A7179)

NY SENATE 2024 DEMOCRACY PACKAGE

Read the Senate Press Release here.

The Senate passed ten bills. Two were also passed in the Assembly AND signed into law by the governor.

Crimes of Voter Deception and Suppression S263/A8608 prohibits deceptive practices and the suppression of voters, and increases penalties for violations of the elective franchise.
Democracy Preservation Act S371/A2633 would ban political spending by foreign-influenced business entities in New York’s state and local elections.
Refreshments at the polls S616/A1346 allows snacks and non-alcoholic drinks to be given to voters waiting in line at the polls.
Doctor John L. Flateau Voting and Elections Database and Academic Center of New York Act (S657A/No Assembly bill) establishes a New York voting and elections database and an academic center to maintain a statewide database of voting and election data and serve as a research hub.
Political Committee Public Website Transparency S6675/A7905 requires public-facing websites that are operated by political committees to include “paid for by” language.
Absentee Ballot Drop-off Box Locations S610/A7243 allows local Boards of Elections to establish absentee ballot drop-off locations to provide voters with a convenient alternative option to submit their absentee ballots. 11/22/2024 SIGNED INTO LAW
Protecting Constitutional Rights S1460/A771 rescinds calls for a constitutional convention to protect all existing constitutional rights.
Portable Polling Locations S242/A6971 amends the election law to allow counties the option to establish portable polling places for early voting.
Ballot Order S5943/A725 modifies the order in which candidates appear on the ballot in descending order based on the size of the electorate and requires certain federal offices to be listed before state, county, and local offices. 8/6/2024 SIGNED INTO LAW
Multistate Voter List Maintenance Organizations S6173B/A7025C authorizes the state board of elections to join a multistate voter list maintenance organization such as the Electronic Registration Information Center also known as ERIC.