Relates to construction of voting machines and systems.
Summary
This bill would significantly revise New York’s Election Law requirements for voting machines and systems, with a strong emphasis on paper ballots, voter verification, and limiting electronic features. It requires ballots to be printed on “durable paper” that can withstand recounts and preserve information for the statutory retention period. The bill also expands and clarifies requirements for voting systems so voters can either hand-mark a paper ballot or use a nontabulating ballot-marking device that produces a voter-verifiable paper ballot.
The measure further restricts machine design by prohibiting systems that combine ballot marking with tabulation or vote transmission in the same device, banning any device that can externally transmit or receive data wirelessly, and barring ballots from encoding votes in unreadable barcodes or QR codes unless the voter can verify them without a code-reading device. It also requires local boards of elections to provide both hand-marked paper ballots and nontabulating ballot-marking options at every polling place, and directs boards to purchase ballot scanners and compliant ballot-marking devices rather than direct-recording electronic machines or optical scan machines as previously referenced in the statute.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would amend multiple provisions of the Election Law governing the approval, construction, and use of voting machines and systems. It would strengthen statutory requirements for paper-based voting, manual audits, ballot privacy, and voter verification, while narrowing the types of equipment local boards of elections may purchase and use. The bill would affect the State Board of Elections, county and New York City boards of elections, voting machine vendors, and election administrators responsible for procurement, certification, and deployment of voting technology.
Sentiment
Based on the text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the bill appears to reflect a generally pro-paper-ballot, election-security-oriented approach. Its sponsors span a broad group of Assembly members, suggesting substantial interest in the proposal. The bill’s structure indicates support for voter-verifiable paper records and skepticism toward more automated or network-capable voting technologies.
Contention
The main points of contention are likely to involve election security versus accessibility, cost, and administrative feasibility. Supporters would likely favor the bill’s restrictions on wireless connectivity, vote encoding, and combined ballot-marking/tabulation functions as safeguards against tampering and opaque vote counting. Opponents or cautious stakeholders may argue that the mandates could limit equipment choices, increase procurement and implementation costs, and create operational challenges for boards of elections, especially regarding compliance, replacement of existing systems, and accessibility for voters with disabilities and language-access needs.