Bill Text: NY A10956 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to establishing a secure website and mobile application that allows voters who have submitted an application for an absentee ballot to view the current status of their application and absentee ballot.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-09-09 - referred to election law [A10956 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A10956-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          10956

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    September 9, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  COMMITTEE  ON  RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Cruz) --
          read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law

        AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to establishing a  website
          and  mobile application that allows voters to view the status of their
          absentee ballot applications and absentee ballots

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.   Section 8-406 of the election law, as amended by chapter
     2  296 of the laws of 1988, is amended to read as follows:
     3    § 8-406. Absentee ballots, delivery of. 1. If  the  board  shall  find
     4  that  the  applicant  is  a  qualified  voter  of  the election district
     5  containing his residence as stated in his statement and that his  state-
     6  ment is sufficient, it shall, as soon as practicable after it shall have
     7  determined  his  right  thereto, mail to him at an address designated by
     8  him, or deliver to him, or to any person designated for such purpose  in
     9  writing  by  him,  at  the office of the board, such an absentee voter's
    10  ballot or set of ballots and an envelope  therefor.  If  the  ballot  or
    11  ballots  are  to be sent outside of the United States to a country other
    12  than Canada or Mexico, such ballot or ballots shall be sent by air mail.
    13  However, if an applicant who is eligible for an  absentee  ballot  is  a
    14  resident  of  a facility operated or licensed by, or under the jurisdic-
    15  tion of, the department of mental hygiene, or a resident of  a  facility
    16  defined  as  a nursing home or residential health care facility pursuant
    17  to subdivisions two and three of section two thousand eight hundred  one
    18  of  the public health law, or a resident of a hospital or other facility
    19  operated by the [Veteran's] Veterans Health Administration of the United
    20  States, such absentee ballot need not be so mailed or delivered  to  any
    21  such  applicant  but,  may  be  delivered  to  the  voter  in the manner
    22  prescribed by section 8-407 of this [chapter] title if such facility  is
    23  located in the county or city in which such voter is eligible to vote.
    24    2.  Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the board of
    25  elections shall establish a secure website and mobile  application  that
    26  shall  not  require  the  user  to create an account, but shall, through
    27  methods determined by the board, require verification that the  user  is

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD17176-01-0
        A. 10956                            2

     1  accessing  his  or  her  own  record.  The information presented in such
     2  website and mobile application shall  be  updated  with  any  applicable
     3  changes  no less frequently than daily. Such website and mobile applica-
     4  tion shall include, but not be limited to, allowing any registered voter
     5  who  has  submitted an application for an absentee ballot, or who other-
     6  wise has a right to receive an absentee ballot, for an upcoming election
     7  pursuant to this title to view the  current  status  of  their  absentee
     8  application  and  absentee  ballot.  Such website and mobile application
     9  shall indicate for each such voter whether the board of elections has:
    10    (a) received such voter's request for an absentee ballot, if  applica-
    11  ble;
    12    (b)  approved  or  rejected  such  request,  if  applicable,  and,  if
    13  rejected, a brief statement of the reason for rejection;
    14    (c) mailed or delivered an absentee ballot  to  such  voter  for  such
    15  upcoming  election,  and shall include the ability for such voter to see
    16  the status of a mailed absentee ballot by United States  postal  service
    17  intelligent mail barcode or successor technology;
    18    (d)  received such voter's completed absentee ballot for such upcoming
    19  election; and
    20    (e) determined that such voter's completed absentee ballot was  inval-
    21  id, and, if such a finding was made, a brief statement of the reason for
    22  such finding.
    23    §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
    24  have become a law.