S 1195: Relates to the rejection by voting machines of ballots that contain a vote for a candidate who previously withdrew from an election.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1195 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. ADDABBO, GOUNARDES, PALUMBO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to ballots that contain the name of a candidate who previously withdrew from an election The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraph s and t of subdivision 1 of section 7-202 of the 2 election law, as added by chapter 181 of the laws of 2005, are amended 3 and a new paragraph u is added to read as follows: 4 s. permit alternative language accessibility pursuant to the require- 5 ments of section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 6 1973aa-1a) such that it must have the capacity to display the full 7 ballot in the alternative languages required by the federal Voting 8 Rights Act if such voting machine or system is to be used where such 9 alternative languages are required or where the local board deems such 10 feature necessary; [and] 11 t. not include any device or functionality potentially capable of 12 externally transmitting or receiving data via the internet or via radio 13 waves or via other wireless means[.]; and 14 u. for elections held on or after January first, two thousand twenty- 15 seven, reject any ballot cast by a voter which contains a vote for a 16 candidate that withdrew such candidate's name as a candidate for 17 election prior to such election and whose name appears on the ballot. 18 Upon rejection of such ballot, the voting machine shall provide notice 19 to the voter that the ballot has been rejected. Such notice shall also 20 state the name of the person who is not longer a candidate and a state- 21 ment that the voter must complete a new ballot. The state board of 22 elections is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations necessary 23 for the implementation of this paragraph. 24 § 2. This act shall take effect January 1, 2027. Effective immediate- 25 ly, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation 26 necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are 27 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03000-01-5