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
