New York Statutes § 6-108 Party nominations; towns

1. In any town in a county having a population of over seven hundred fifty thousand inhabitants, as shown by the latest federal decennial or special population census, party nominations of candidates for town offices shall be made at the primary preceding the election. In any other town, nominations of candidates for town offices shall be made by caucus or primary election as the rules of the county committee shall provide, except that the members of the county committee from a town may adopt by a two-thirds vote, a rule providing that the party candidates for town offices shall be nominated at the primary election. If a rule adopted by the county committee of a political party or by the members of the county committee from a town, provides that party candidates for town offices, shall be nominated at a primary election, such rule shall not apply to nor affect a primary held less than four months after a certified copy of the rule shall have been filed with the board of elections. After the filing of such a rule, the rule shall continue in force until a certified copy of a rule revoking the same shall have been filed with such board at least four months before a subsequent primary. Such a caucus shall be held no earlier than the first day on which designating petitions for the [fall] primary election may be signed.

2. In the event that there is no town committee with a chairman, the chairman of the county committee or such other person or body as the rules of such committee may provide, shall designate an enrolled member of the party who is a qualified voter of such town as the town caucus chairman to convene such caucus and give notice thereof.

3. A notice of any party caucus held for making party nominations of candidates for town offices shall be given by proper party authorities by posting such notice in the public areas at the offices of the town clerk and the board of elections and filing a copy of such notice with such clerk and such board at least ten days preceding the day of the caucus and, either by newspaper publication thereof once within the town at least one week and not more than two weeks preceding the caucus, or by posting in ten public places in the town at least ten days preceding the day of the caucus. The notice shall specify the time and place or places, and the purpose of the caucus. There shall be a chairman and secretary, and there may be tellers, for each such caucus, and they shall take the constitutional oath of office before acting. No person shall participate in such a caucus for the nomination of candidates for town offices, unless he shall appear as an enrolled party voter on the transcript of enrollments from the registration poll ledger. Town caucuses described in this section shall be held at the expense of the party. Subject to the foregoing provisions, the county committee of the county containing a town may prescribe rules governing the conduct of party caucuses described in this section.