BILL NUMBER: S1809
SPONSOR: FERNANDEZ
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the election law, in relation to the appointment of
college and university students as election inspectors
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To permit boards of elections to hire college and university students as
elections inspectors without compliance with certain requirements.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends section 3-400 of the election law by adding a new
subdivision 6-a which authorizes local boards of election to recruit
full-time students from college and university in the city or county to
serve as election inspectors, even if they do not reside in that city or
county. Such student election inspectors would be exempt from the
current county residency requirements, but must be registered voters
residing in New York State, and meet all other existing statutory
requirements.
Section 2 sets forth the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Every year at election time, election districts around the state are
plagued by a shortage of trained staff to operate as elections inspec-
tors at local polling places. One consequence of this chronic shortage
is that several election districts are often forced to vote in a single
polling place, an inconvenience for voters who would prefer to cast
their ballots closer to home and an administrative nightmare for
election workers who must maintain and close down several machines. In a
presidential election year or a year with several hotly contested races,
these staffing shortages are felt more acutely. In some areas of New
York City, voters were forced to wait for 2-3 hours to cast their
ballots during the 2000 General Election.
To ensure that every New Yorker can fully participate in the election
process, we need to increase the number of trained election inspectors.
New recruitment is especially important now because many of the current
inspectors are senior citizens and will retire from their poll watching
duties in the next few years. By recruiting young people as inspectors,
New York will help alleviate a current crisis while ensuring an adequate
pool of polling place personnel for many years to come.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024: S4433 / A8899
2021-2022: S4723 / A482
2020: S8630
2019: S1658
2017-2018: S1658
2015-2016: S1658
2014: S1658
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S1809: 3-400 election law