A 7216: Provides voting materials in French and Creole; requires translators in French and Creole in the city of New York at polling places in subdivisions where more than five percent of the citizens of voting age speak the language of French and/or Creole and are limited-English proficient.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7216 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY March 21, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. CHANDLER-WATERMAN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to providing voting mate- rials and translators in French and Creole in the city of New York The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Haitian- 2 American Informed Voter Act". 3 § 2. The election law is amended by adding a new section 3-508 to read 4 as follows: 5 § 3-508. Boards of elections; voting materials in French and Creole. A 6 board of elections in a city of over one million shall provide the same 7 information in French and Creole that it provides in languages other 8 than English on its website. It shall also produce and disseminate city- 9 wide a booklet that includes: (a) a voter registration form in English 10 with instructions in French and Creole; (b) instructions regarding the 11 criteria and application process for obtaining an absentee ballot; and 12 (c) a section with general information including frequently asked ques- 13 tions. Such board may include other languages on its website and in such 14 booklet. 15 § 3. Section 8-104 of the election law is amended by adding a new 16 subdivision 8 to read as follows: 17 8. In the city of New York, during days of primary, general and 18 special elections, at each premises wherein a polling place or places 19 are located in a political subdivision of the state where more than five 20 percent of the citizens of voting age of such political subdivision 21 speak the language of French and/or Creole and are limited-English 22 proficient, at least one French-English language and/or Creole-English 23 translator designated by such city shall be assigned for duty from the 24 opening until the closing of the polls. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD08365-01-5 
 A. 7216 2 1 § 4. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall 2 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or 3 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of 4 this act on its effective date are authorized and directed to be made 5 and completed on or before such effective date.