A 1241: Repeals provisions criminalizing the furnishing of items with a nominal value to induce attendance at polls.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1241 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 9, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SIMON, STIRPE, EPSTEIN, DAVILA, JACOBSON, GLICK, DINOWITZ, FALL, NOVAKHOV, ANDERSON, PAULIN, SEPTIMO, CRUZ, TAPIA, DE LOS SANTOS, SIMONE, ZACCARO, BORES -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to furnishing money or entertainment to induce attendance at polls The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 17-140 of the election law, as amended by chapter 2 414 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows: 3 § 17-140. Furnishing money or entertainment to induce attendance at 4 polls. Any person who directly or indirectly by [himself] such person 5 or through any other person in connection with or in respect of any 6 election during the hours of voting on a day of a general, special or 7 primary election gives or provides, or causes to be given or provided, 8 or shall pay, wholly or in part, for any meat, drink, tobacco[, refresh- 9 ment] or provision to or for any person, other than persons who are 10 official representatives of the board of elections or political parties 11 and committees and persons who are engaged as watchers, party represen- 12 tatives or workers assisting the candidate, except any such [meat, 13 drink, tobacco, refreshment or provision] item having [a retail value of 14 less than one dollar,] a nominal value, including but not limited to, 15 snacks, water, soft drinks, or other refreshments which [is] are given 16 or provided to any person in a polling place or in line to vote at a 17 polling place without any identification of the person or entity supply- 18 ing such provisions, is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. 19 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00050-01-5