A 5051: Requires that candidates for certain offices be residents and registered voters in the district containing the public office or party position sought at certain times during the electoral process.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5051 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 11, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. JACOBSON, EACHUS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to requiring that candi- dates for certain offices be residents and registered voters in the district containing the public office or party position sought at certain times during the electoral process The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 6-136 of the election law is amended by adding a 2 new subdivision 4 to read as follows: 3 4. At the time of the filing of a designating petition for a public 4 office or a party position, the candidate shall be a resident and regis- 5 tered voter in the district containing the public office or party posi- 6 tion sought. A county, city, town or village may impose more stringent 7 residency requirements. A candidate for member of the county committee 8 need only be a resident and registered to vote in the Assembly district 9 which contains the election district that the candidate is running in. 10 Failure to meet these requirements shall render the petition void. These 11 requirements shall be in addition to all other requirements required by 12 law. This section shall not apply to a candidate for representative in 13 congress, or to a candidate for the state assembly or state senate. 14 § 2. Section 6-138 of the election law is amended by adding a new 15 subdivision 5 to read as follows: 16 5. At the time of the filing of an independent nominating petition for 17 public office, the candidate shall be a resident and registered voter in 18 the district containing the public office. Failure to meet these 19 requirements shall render the petition void. These requirements shall be 20 in addition to all other requirements required by law. A county, city, 21 town or village may impose more stringent residency requirements. This 22 section shall not apply to a candidate for representative in congress, 23 or to a candidate for the state assembly or state senate. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03368-01-5 
 A. 5051 2 1 § 3. Section 6-108 of the election law is amended by adding a new 2 subdivision 4 to read as follows: 3 4. At the time of a party caucus, the candidate shall be a resident 4 and registered voter in the district containing the public office 5 sought. Failure to meet these requirements shall render the certificate 6 of designation or nomination void. These requirements shall be in addi- 7 tion to all other requirements required by law. A town may impose more 8 stringent residency requirements. 9 § 4. Section 6-146 of the election law is amended by adding a new 10 subdivision 8 to read as follows: 11 8. The candidate filing a certificate accepting the designation or 12 nomination under this section shall be a resident and registered voter 13 in the district containing the public office sought. Failure to meet 14 these requirements shall render the certificate of acceptance void. A 15 county, city, town or village may impose more stringent residency 16 requirements. These requirements shall be in addition to all other 17 requirements required by law. This section shall not apply to a candi- 18 date for representative in congress, or to a candidate for the state 19 assembly or state senate, or a candidate for justice of the supreme 20 court. 21 § 5. Section 6-122 of the election law, as amended by chapter 511 of 22 the laws of 1993, is amended to read as follows: 23 § 6-122. Designation or nomination; eligibility, restrictions. 1. A 24 person shall not be designated or nominated for a public office or party 25 position who [(1)]: 26 (a) is not a citizen of the state of New York; 27 [(2)] (b) is ineligible to be elected to such office or position; [or 28 (3)] (c) who, if elected will not at the time of commencement of the 29 term of such office or position, meet the constitutional or statutory 30 qualifications thereof or, with respect to judicial office, who will not 31 meet such qualifications within thirty days of the commencement of the 32 term of such office; or 33 (d) at the time of such designation or nomination shall not be a resi- 34 dent of the district and not registered to vote in the district contain- 35 ing the public office or party position. A county, city, town or village 36 may impose more stringent residency requirements. A candidate for member 37 of the county committee need only be a resident and registered to vote 38 in the Assembly district which contains the election district that the 39 candidate is running in. 40 2. The provisions of paragraph (d) of subdivision one of this section 41 shall not apply to the office of representative in congress, or to the 42 office of representative in the state assembly or state senate, or to 43 the office of justice of the supreme court. 44 § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.