Senate BillIntroduced
S 5738: Requires the board of elections to provide Russian interpreters at certain polling locations in cities having a population in excess of one million people.
What S 5738 does, verified January 8, 2026
The bill requires the New York State Board of Elections to provide Russian interpreters at polling locations in cities with a population of one million or more, where Russian speakers make up five percent or more of the population. This is to assist individuals who do not speak the English language in casting their ballots. The bill allows individuals to register with a relative who can interpret for them, and the board must record the interpreter's information. The provision of Russian interpreters will take effect immediately and apply to all elections conducted on or after the effective date.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: REFERRED TO ELECTIONS (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about S 5738
- What is the current status of S 5738?
- As of January 8, 2026, S 5738 is recorded as "Introduced": it has been introduced and is waiting for its first committee hearing or floor vote. The last recorded action, on January 7, 2026, was "REFERRED TO ELECTIONS".
- Did S 5738 pass?
- Not yet. S 5738 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote S 5738, and where is it now?
- S 5738 was authored by Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton. Its committee of record is Senate Elections.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | REFERRED TO ELECTIONS |
| Feb. 28, 2025 | REFERRED TO ELECTIONS |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, February 28, 2025 · 321 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5738 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE February 28, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- 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 requiring the board of elections to provide Russian interpreters to certain polling locations in cities having a population in excess of one million people The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 5-216 of the election law is 2 amended to read as follows: 3 2. a. If the applicant be a person who does not speak the English 4 language, [he] the applicant may be assisted by a relative who can 5 interpret for [him] the applicant. If the applicant registers with this 6 assistance the board shall put in the remarks space of the registration 7 forms the name and address, and the relationship, of the person so doing 8 the interpreting and the interpreter shall sign [his] the interpreter's 9 name in the remarks space. 10 b. In any city having a population of one million or more people, 11 which contains any county that has a population comprised of five 12 percent or more of people whose first language is Russian within such 13 county, the board of elections shall provide Russian interpreters at 14 polling locations in those election districts within each such county in 15 the city having a population comprised of five percent or more people 16 whose first language is Russian. 17 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to all 18 elections conducted on or after such effective date. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD03891-01-5
Text of S 5738 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions