File #: Int 0048-2022    Version: * Name: Requiring information about elections for non-municipal offices, ballot proposals and referenda in the voter guide.
Type: Introduction Status: Filed (End of Session)
Committee: Committee on Governmental Operations
On agenda: 2/24/2022
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to requiring information about elections for non-municipal offices, ballot proposals and referenda in the voter guide
Sponsors: Eric Dinowitz, Shahana K. Hanif, Rita C. Joseph, Sandra Ung, Kalman Yeger , Julie Won, Lincoln Restler, Erik D. Bottcher, Marjorie Velázquez
Council Member Sponsors: 9
Summary: This bill would require the Campaign Finance Board to update the information in its printed and online voter guides to include information about elections in which there are contested elections for city, county, state, or federal offices or ballot proposals or referenda pursuant to city, county, state, and federal law that coincide with elections for Mayor, City Council, Public Advocate, Comptroller, or Borough President or ballot proposals or referenda pursuant to the Charter or Municipal Home Rule Law. The Board will also be required to publish an online voter guide for all other elections that do not coincide with elections for Mayor, City Council, Public Advocate, Comptroller, or Borough President or ballot proposals or referenda pursuant to the Charter or Municipal Home Rule Law.
Indexes: Agency Rule-making Required
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 48, 2. Int. No. 48, 3. February 24, 2022 - Stated Meeting Agenda, 4. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 2-24-22, 5. Minutes of the Stated Meeting - February 24, 2022

Int. No. 48

By Council Members Dinowitz, Hanif, Joseph, Ung, Yeger, Won, Restler, Bottcher and Velázquez

A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to requiring information about elections for non-municipal offices, ballot proposals and referenda in the voter guide

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Paragraphs 1 and 2 of subdivision b of section 1052 of the New York city charter, as amended by local law number 48 for the year 2022, are amended to read as follows:

    b. 1. The board shall take [such] actions [as it deems necessary and appropriate] to improve public awareness of the candidates, ballot proposals or referenda in all elections in which there are (i) contested elections for the offices of mayor, public advocate, borough presidents, comptroller, or city council or ballot proposals or referenda pursuant to this charter or the municipal home rule law, [including] and (ii) other contested elections held in the city of New York for city, county, state or federal office or ballot proposals or referenda pursuant to city, county, state or federal law that coincide with the elections, ballot proposals or referenda described in (i) of this paragraph, excluding elections for positions provided by articles 2 and 6 of the election law. Such actions shall include, but not necessarily be limited to the publication of and outreach to voters and stakeholders regarding a non-partisan, impartial voter guide in at least two media formats, including but not necessarily limited to a printed voter guide and a voter guide to be published online, providing information on such candidates, ballot proposals and referenda, and the distribution of one copy of such printed guide to each household in which there is at least one registered voter eligible to vote in the election involved. A voter may opt out of receiving a copy of such printed guide, and the board shall comply with this request to the extent feasible.

 2. The board shall also take [such] actions [as it deems necessary and appropriate] to improve public awareness of the candidates in all other contested elections held in the city of New York for any city, county, state, or federal office or ballot proposals or referenda pursuant to city, county, state, or federal law, including but not necessarily limited to the publication of and outreach to voters and stakeholders regarding a non-partisan, impartial voter guide in at least one media format, including but not necessarily limited to a voter guide to be published online, providing information on such candidates, ballot proposals or referenda.

§ 2. The opening paragraph and paragraph 1 of subdivision a of section 1053 of the New York city charter, as amended by local law number 48 for the year 2022, are amended to read as follows:

a. For all elections in which there are (i) contested elections for the offices of mayor, public advocate, borough presidents, comptroller, or city council or ballot proposals or referenda pursuant to this charter or the municipal home rule law, [each printed and online] and (ii) other contested elections held in the city of New York for city, county, state or federal office or ballot proposals or referenda pursuant to city, county, state or federal law that coincide with the elections, ballot proposals or referenda described in item (i) of this subdivision, excluding elections for positions provided by articles 2 and 6 of the election law, there shall be a printed and an online voter guide published by the board, which shall contain:

1. material explaining the date and hours during which the polls will be open for that election; when, where, and how to register to vote; when an eligible voter is required to reregister; when, where, and how absentee ballots are obtained and used; instructions on how to vote, including, but not limited to, information about how to fill out the ballot for each office, proposal or referendum on any such ballot; information on the political subdivisions applicable to a particular voter’s address; and any other general information on voting deemed by the board to be necessary or useful to the electorate or otherwise consistent with the goals of this charter;

§ 3. Subdivision b of section 1053 of the New York city charter, as amended by local law number 48 for the year 2022, is amended to read as follows:

b. For all other elections in which there are contested elections held in the city of New York for any city, county, state, or federal office or ballot proposals or referenda pursuant to city, county, state, or federal law, [each] there shall be an online voter guide, which shall contain information that [the board deems necessary or useful to the electorate or is otherwise] is consistent with the board’s responsibility under this chapter to improve public awareness of candidates, ballot proposals, or referenda.

§ 4. This local law takes effect January 1, 2023, except that the campaign finance board shall take such measures as are necessary for the implementation of this local law, including the promulgation of any rules, before such date.

 

 

 

Session 12

NAW

LS #6249

1/20/2022 12:39 PM

 

Session 11

NLB                     

LS #18045                     

Int. #2479-2021