New York Senate Bill S10126

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/30/26
• Refer: 4/30/26

Caption

Prohibits local boards of elections from purchasing direct recording electronic machines; requires local boards of elections to provide hand marking and ballot marking device options at all polling places.

Summary

S10126 amends the New York Election Law to require local boards of elections, when purchasing voting machines, to buy only optical scan systems that tabulate paper ballots marked by hand and ballot marking devices that do not tabulate votes. The bill expressly prohibits local boards from purchasing direct recording electronic (DRE) machines. It also requires every polling place to offer voters two options: hand-marking a paper ballot or using a non-tabulating ballot marking device to mark that ballot. The bill further provides that voting machines and systems purchased before the effective date may continue to be used and maintained if they are designed to use paper ballots that comply with existing election-law requirements. The measure takes effect immediately and is aimed at standardizing paper-ballot-based voting equipment at the local level while preserving use of existing compliant systems.

Impact

This bill would change state election procurement rules by removing local boards of elections' discretion to buy direct recording electronic machines and by mandating paper-ballot-based voting systems for future purchases. It would affect local election administrators, voting equipment vendors, and voters by requiring hand-marked paper ballots or ballot marking devices that do not independently tabulate votes, while allowing existing compliant systems to remain in service.

Sentiment

The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no documented debate or formal vote history to gauge support or opposition. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to reflect a pro-paper-ballot, election-security-oriented approach, with an emphasis on voter choice at the polling place and limiting use of fully electronic voting systems.

Contention

The central policy issue is whether local boards should be barred from purchasing DRE machines and required to use paper-ballot systems instead. Supporters would likely favor the paper trail, auditability, and voter-verifiable ballot features of optical scan and ballot marking systems, while opponents could argue that the bill restricts local flexibility, may increase costs or implementation burdens, and eliminates a class of voting technology. No specific stakeholders or objections are identified in the provided record.