Int. No. 1994-A

By Council Members Ampry-Samuel, Kallos, Yeger, Dromm, Van Bramer, Reynoso, Powers, Chin, Barron, Louis, Ayala, Levin, Constantinides, Rosenthal, Lander, Adams, Rivera, Levine, Cabrera, Miller, Moya, Vallone, Gibson, Cornegy, Koo, Menchaca, Rose, Riley, Salamanca and the Public Advocate (Mr. Williams)

A Local Law in relation to a voter education campaign regarding ranked choice voting

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. a. The campaign finance board shall create and thereafter maintain information on its website regarding ranked choice voting in primary and special elections pursuant to section 1057-g of the charter. Such information shall be available, at minimum, in each of the designated voter guide languages as determined pursuant to subdivision (d) of section 1053 of the charter. Such information shall include, but need not be limited to:

1. A fact sheet explaining ranked choice voting;

2. A sample ranked choice ballot; and

3. By no later than March 15, 2021, a brief video explaining ranked choice voting.

b. The campaign finance board and the voter assistance advisory committee shall include ranked choice voting information on any print and digital educational materials provided to the public in connection with a ranked choice election as defined in section 1057-g(a) of the charter, including but not limited to materials provided as part of NYC Votes youth and community voter outreach and engagement programs.

c. The voter guide published by the campaign finance board pursuant to subdivision b of section 1052 of the New York city charter shall include information explaining ranked choice voting, including information explaining that a voter may rank as many or as few candidates as a ballot allows, and further including a sample ranked choice ballot.

d. By no later than May 1, 2021, the campaign finance board shall produce educational materials regarding ranked choice voting and distribute such materials to each agency designated as a participating voter registration agency pursuant to section 1057-a of the charter, including community boards. Educational materials shall be available, at minimum, in each of the designated voter guide languages as determined pursuant to subdivision (d) of section 1053 of the charter. Such educational materials shall include, but need not be limited to, the following:

1. A fact sheet explaining ranked choice voting, including a large-print edition made available to the department of the aging;

2. A sample ranked choice ballot;

3. Language suitable for use in print and digital communications explaining ranked choice voting;

4. A brief video suitable for use on websites and social media explaining ranked choice voting; and

5. Explanatory graphics suitable for use in print and digital communications directing the public to information on the campaign finance board website created pursuant to subdivision a.

e. Each agency receiving materials pursuant to subdivision d shall, as part of its program of distribution of voter registration forms, distribute such educational materials. Each designated participating voter registration agency required to submit semi-annual reports on their implementation of section 1057-a of the charter shall report the number of printed educational materials it distributed, and the mayor’s office of operations shall include this information in its report required by section 1057-a of the charter.

f. The campaign finance board shall establish training programs for employees of agencies designated as participating voter registration agencies pursuant to section 1057-a of the charter, and employees of such agencies’ contracted service providers, to receive guidance on how to incorporate ranked choice voting awareness into employees’ interactions with the public.

g. Within ten days of receiving education materials regarding ranked choice voting produced by the campaign finance board pursuant to subdivision d, every agency required to receive such materials, including community boards, shall:

1. Identify physical locations occupied or controlled by such agency, or by contracted service providers, where educational materials regarding ranked choice voting produced by the campaign finance board pursuant to subdivision d may be made available and where campaign finance board staff or volunteers can educate the public about ranked choice voting; and

2. Use such educational materials regarding ranked choice voting produced by the campaign finance board pursuant to subdivision d to:

(a) Prominently display digital education materials on such agency’s website, or prominently display, with a specific reference to ranked choice voting, a button directing the public to the information on the campaign finance board website created pursuant to subdivision a;

(b) Prominently display educational materials at physical locations occupied or controlled by such agency that have been identified pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subdivision, including making printed educational materials available to the public, and, to the extent practicable and consistent with programmatic needs, displaying digital materials on electronic screens controlled by each such agency and visible to the public;

(c) Include educational materials in appropriate print and electronic communications such agency distributes to the public; and

(d) Distribute educational materials to employees of such agency.

h. By no later than May 24, 2021, the campaign finance board shall distribute a postcard explaining ranked choice voting to each household in the city of New York in which there is at least one registered voter.

i. By no later than May 1, 2021, the campaign finance board shall conduct a citywide media campaign to familiarize voters with ranked choice voting. Such campaign shall include, but need not be limited to, advertisements published in community and ethnic media outlets.

j. The campaign finance board shall collaborate with community-based organizations in all five boroughs to ensure that voters are familiar with ranked choice voting. Such organizations shall include, but need not be limited to: civil rights organizations; disability rights organizations; organizations serving public housing residents; organizations serving categories of residents that are underrepresented among those who vote or among those who are registered to vote; and organizations serving voters who are limited in English proficiency, including voters who primarily speak languages other than the designated voter guide languages as determined pursuant to subdivision (d) of section 1053 of the charter.

k. The campaign finance board shall conduct targeted outreach to explain ranked choice voting to voters in any council district in which a special election to fill a vacant city council seat has been scheduled to take place prior to June 22, 2021. 

l. The civic engagement commission shall include ranked choice voting education as part of its poll site language interpreter training established pursuant to subparagraph (g) of paragraph 4 of subdivision a of section 3202 of the charter.

§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately and is deemed repealed on December 31, 2025.

DFC/cjm

LS #14046

01/20/2021