Provides that absentee ballots for all elections shall be made available in Braille and large print, upon request of a blind or visually impaired voter no less than 30 days prior to each election day.
Summary
A01552 would require absentee ballots to be made available in Braille and in large-print format for registered voters who are blind or visually impaired, if requested at least 30 days before an election. The bill applies to all elections and amends both the Election Law and the Education Law to create parallel requirements for the State Board of Elections and the Department of Education, ensuring the same accessibility standard across election administration systems.
The bill also directs the relevant agencies to adopt rules for preparing, distributing, casting, and canvassing these accessible absentee ballots. It defines Braille as grade two Braille and large print as 18-point font or larger, and requires Braille ballots to be proofread by a qualified Braille reader. In developing the initial ballot formats and proofreader qualifications, the agencies must consult with at least three New York organizations with expertise in disability advocacy.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would expand election accessibility by creating a statutory right for blind and visually impaired voters to request absentee ballots in Braille or large print. It would impose new administrative duties on boards of elections and the Department of Education, including rulemaking, ballot-format development, consultation with disability organizations, and proofreading requirements for Braille ballots. The measure would affect absentee voting procedures, election administration, and accessibility compliance statewide.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have a generally supportive and noncontroversial policy goal based on its text and caption: improving voting access for people with disabilities. No committee transcript or vote data is available, so there is no recorded debate or formal voting sentiment to assess. The framing of the bill suggests an emphasis on accessibility, inclusion, and practical implementation rather than partisan dispute.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are operational rather than ideological. The 30-day advance notice requirement may be viewed as necessary for production and distribution, but it could also be seen as a barrier for some voters who need accessible ballots on shorter notice. There may also be administrative concerns about cost, logistics, proofreading standards, and how election officials will ensure timely preparation and canvassing of Braille and large-print ballots. Disability advocates are explicitly included in the drafting process, indicating that implementation details and ballot accuracy are likely the key issues.
Elections; voter identification containing photograph required; who may register up to and including the day of the election; absentee ballot application requirements; absentee voting in person availability; return of absentee ballots.
In preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions; in county boards of elections, furth er providing for powers and duties of county boards; in preparation for and conduct of primaries and elections, further providing for manner of applying to vote, persons entitled to vote, voter's certificates, entries to be made in district register, numbered lists of voters and challenges and for ballots to be issued by election officers only, ballots not to be removed and official ballots only to be deposited or counted; in voting by qualified absentee electors, further providing for applications for official absentee ballots, for date of application for absentee ballot, for official absentee voters ballots, for voting by absentee electors and for canvassing of official absentee absentee ballots and mail-in ballots; in voting by qualified mail-in electors, further providing for applications for official mail-in ballots, for official mail-in elector ballots and for voting by mail-in electors.