New York A 997: Provides absentee ballots to all qualified voters; repealer

Bill Text

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A00997 Summary:

BILL NOA00997 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORSteck

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COSPNSR

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MLTSPNSR

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Rpld §§8-400 & 8-402, add §8-400, amd §8-406, El L

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Requires absentee ballots to be provided to all qualified voters; relates to the delivery of absentee ballots.

Go to top A00997 Actions:

BILL NOA00997 

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01/08/2025referred to election law

01/07/2026referred to election law

Go to topA00997 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA00997 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA00997 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 997

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 (Prefiled)

 January 8, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. STECK -- read once and referred to the Committee
 on Election Law

 AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to providing absentee
 ballots to all qualified voters; and to repeal certain provisions of
 such law relating thereto

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

 1 Section 1. Sections 8-400 and 8-402 of the election law are REPEALED
 2 and a new section 8-400 is added to read as follows:
 3 § 8-400. Absentee voting. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the
 4 contrary, a qualified voter may vote as an absentee voter under this
 5 chapter.
 6 § 2. Section 8-406 of the election law, as amended by section 2 of
 7 part HH of chapter 55 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as
 8 follows:
 9 § 8-406. Absentee ballots[,]; delivery of. 1. [If the board shall find
 10 that the applicant is a qualified voter of the election district
 11 containing his residence as stated in his statement and that his state-
 12 ment is sufficient, it shall, as soon as practicable after it shall have
 13 determined his right thereto, mail to him at an address designated by
 14 him, or deliver to him, or to any person designated for such purpose in
 15 writing by him, at the office of the board, such an absentee voter's
 16 ballot or set of ballots and an envelope therefor. If the ballot or
 17 ballots are to be sent outside of the United States to a country other
 18 than Canada or Mexico, such ballot or ballots shall be sent by air mail.
 19 However, if an applicant who is eligible for an absentee ballot is a
 20 resident of a facility operated or licensed by, or under the jurisdic-
 21 tion of, the department of mental hygiene, or a resident of a facility
 22 defined as a nursing home or residential health care facility pursuant
 23 to subdivisions two and three of section two thousand eight hundred one

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD02251-01-5

 A. 997 2

 1 of the public health law, or a resident of a hospital or other facility
 2 operated by the Veteran's Administration of the United States, such
 3 absentee ballot need not be so mailed or delivered to any such applicant
 4 but, may be delivered to the voter in the manner prescribed by section
 5 8-407 of this chapter if such facility is located in the county or city
 6 in which such voter is eligible to vote.] The board of elections for all
 7 counties or cities shall mail an absentee ballot and a return postage
 8 guaranteed envelope to every registered and qualified voter residing in
 9 such county or city. Such absentee ballot shall be mailed to every
 10 registered and qualified voter at the address given on such voter's
 11 registration records, or at an address specified by such voter pursuant
 12 to subdivision three of this section, no sooner than twenty days before
 13 the scheduled election and no later than fourteen days before the sched-
 14 uled election is to be held.
 15 2. In the case of a primary election, the board of elections shall
 16 deliver only the ballot of the party in which the records of the board
 17 of elections show the absentee voter to be enrolled. In the event a
 18 primary election is uncontested in the absentee voter's election
 19 district for all offices or positions except the party position of
 20 member of the ward, town, city or county committee, no ballot shall be
 21 delivered to such absentee voter for such election; and the absentee
 22 voter shall b