NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A6138
SPONSOR: Glick
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the election law, in relation to split shifts for
election inspectors or poll clerks
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL::
To allow poll clerks to work half-day shifts on Election Day.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS::
Section 1 amends subdivision 7 of 3-400 of the Election Law to allow for
half-day Election Day shifts for poll clerks.
Section 2 contains the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Poll worker recruitment is notoriously difficult. Very few voters are
willing or able to devote an entire 16 hour day to serving as a poll
worker, however, a less time-consuming commitment could improve recruit-
ment efforts. The Board of Elections is permitted to appoint election
inspectors for 8 hour shifts. This permission should be extended to poll
clerks, as well.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::
A.6973A of 2023-24 (Glick): Reported referred to rules
S.609 of 2023-2024 (Hoylman-Sigal): Passed Senate/Passed Senate
S.424-A of 2021-2022 (Hoylman): Passed Senate/Died in Election Law
A.0051-A of 2021-2022 (Quart): Died in Election Law
S.2275 of 2019-2020 (Hoylman): Died in Elections
A.1272 of 2019-2020 (Quart): Died in Election Law
S.5934 of 2017-2018(Hoylman): Died in Elections
A.4257 of 2017-2018 (Quart): Died in Election Law
2015-2016: A2052 referred to Elections
2013-2014: A4670 referred to Elections
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS::
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE::
This bill would take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6138
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 26, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GLICK, BUTTENSCHON, TAYLOR -- read once and
referred to the Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to split shifts for
election inspectors or poll clerks
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 7 of section 3-400 of the election law, as
2 amended by chapter 293 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as
3 follows:
4 7. The board of elections may employ election inspectors or poll
5 clerks to work split shifts with adjusted compensation, provided, howev-
6 er, that at least one election inspector and one poll clerk from each of
7 the two major political parties is present at the poll site for the
8 entire time that the polls are open. Each county board of elections
9 shall prescribe the necessary rules and procedures to ensure proper poll
10 site operation.
11 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05213-01-5