BILL NUMBER: S8646A
SPONSOR: GONZALEZ
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the election law, the penal law and the executive law,
in relation to the New York election officer protection act
 
PURPOSE:
This bill, the New York Election Officer Protection Act, aims to guard
current and former election officers from intimidation and other forms
of harassment.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one is the bill title. Section two amends the Election Law to
create a new civil cause of action against intimidation of an election
officer. This cause of action includes a rebuttable presumption that a
person who displays a firearm inside a polling place has engaged in
unlawful intimidation. Section three amends the Penal Law to create a
new misdemeanor crime of unlawful dissemination of personal information
of an election officer. Sections four through eight amend the Executive
Law to add election officers to the State's Address Confidentiality
Program. Section nine is the effective date.
 
EXISTING LAW:
None.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Poll workers and other election officers play a vital role in our democ-
racy, but they face increasingly serious threats. According to a 2024
report by the Brennan Center, more than one-third of local election
officials across the country have experienced threats, harassment, or
abuse. Close to seventy percent of those officials say that those
threats have increased since 2020.
In response to these challenges, this bill, the New York Election Offi-
cer Protection Act, aims to enhance protections for election workers
across the State. The bill establishes new civil and criminal penalties
against harassing election officers, and it provides new tools to shield
election workers from abuse. In doing so, the bill aims to further safe-
guard the integrity of the State's election administration system and,
more broadly, its democracy.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
TBD
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred and eightieth day after it
shall become law.

Statutes affected:
S8646: 108 executive law, 108(1) executive law, 108(2) executive law, 108(3) executive law
S8646A: 108 executive law, 108(1) executive law, 108(2) executive law, 108(3) executive law