S 1098: Requires polls for special town elections to open on otherwise scheduled general election days, as designated by the state board of elections.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1098 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. MAY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government AN ACT to amend the town law, in relation to requiring polls for special town elections to open on otherwise scheduled general election days The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 82 of the town law, as amended by chapter 420 of 2 the laws of 1963, is amended to read as follows: 3 § 82. Notice of submission of proposition; hours of voting. The town 4 board shall adopt a resolution at least twenty days before every special 5 town election designating the hours of opening and closing the polls and 6 the place or places of holding the election, and setting forth in full 7 all propositions to be voted upon. If the town board shall designate 8 more than one voting place, the resolution and the notice hereinafter 9 provided for shall specify the place at which the qualified voters of 10 each election district shall vote. The polls shall be open on an other- 11 wise scheduled general election day, designated as such by the state 12 board of elections, and, if no other election is occurring on such date, 13 shall remain open for at least six consecutive hours between eight 14 o'clock in the forenoon and eight o'clock in the evening. The voting 15 upon a proposition shall be by ballot and each proposition submitted 16 shall be separately stated and numbered thereon. The town clerk shall 17 give notice of such special town election at the expense of the town by 18 the publication of a notice in a newspaper published in said town, if 19 there be any, or, if there be none, in a newspaper published in the 20 county having general circulation in the town, specifying the time when 21 and place or places where such election will be held, the hours during 22 which the polls will remain open for the purpose of receiving ballots, 23 and setting forth in full all propositions to be voted upon. The first 24 publication of such notice shall be at least ten days prior to the time 25 of such special election. In addition, the town clerk shall post or EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03610-01-5 
 S. 1098 2 1 cause to be posted a copy of such notice on the sign-board of the town 2 maintained pursuant to subdivision six of section thirty of this chapter 3 at least ten days prior to such election. In the event that any such 4 questions or propositions shall be submitted at a biennial town 5 election, notice that the same will be submitted setting them forth in 6 full shall be published and posted in the manner above provided for 7 special town elections. 8 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.