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New York Statutes § 6-134 Designating petition; rules

⤴ Up to Article 6: Designation and Nomination of Candidates

Statute Text

Effective Until 12/31/2024

1. A designating petition may designate candidates for nomination for one or more different public offices or for nomination for election to one or more party positions or both, but designations or nominations for which the petitions are required to be filed in different offices or petitions for the same public office or party position in different political subdivisions may not be combined in the same petition. If two or more offices having the same title are to be filled for different terms, the terms of office shall be included as part of the title of the office.
2. Sheets of a designating petition shall be delivered to the board of elections in the manner prescribed by regulations that shall be promulgated by the state board of elections, provided, however, that the sheets of any volume of a petition shall be numbered. Such regulations shall be no more restrictive than is reasonably necessary for the processing of such petitions by the board of elections. Such regulations shall be binding on the boards of election in each county and in the city of New York. When a determination is made that a designating petition does not comply with such regulations, the candidate shall have three business days from the date of such determination to cure the violation.
3. If a voter shall sign any petition or petitions designating a greater number of candidates for public office or party position than the number of persons to be elected thereto his signatures, if they bear the same date, shall not be counted upon any petition, and if they bear different dates shall be counted in the order of their priority of date, for only so many designees as there are persons to be elected.
4. A signature made earlier than thirty-seven days before the last day to file designating petitions for the primary election shall not be counted.
4-a. Notwithstanding the time fixed in subdivision four of this section, for the year two thousand twenty-four, any signature made on a designating petition for the public office of representative in the house of representatives of the congress of the United States, or any party position elected from a congressional district, made earlier than February twenty-ninth, two thousand twenty-four shall not be counted for such office or party position; provided, however, any signature made on a designating petition for offices or party positions other than for the public office of representative in the house of representatives of the congress of the United States, or any party position elected from a congressional district, which is consistent with the time fixed in subdivision four of this section shall be counted for such office or party position.
5. The use of titles, initials or customary abbreviations of given names by the signers of, or witnesses to, designating petitions or the use of customary abbreviations of addresses of such signers or witnesses, shall not invalidate such signatures or witness statement provided that the identity of the signer or witness as a registered voter can be established by reference to the signature on the petition and that of a person whose name appears in the registration poll ledgers , provided, however, nothing in this section shall prevent a court from receiving sworn testimony or other admissible evidence as to the authenticity of a signature when such signature would otherwise be invalidated for not matching the signature on file with the board of elections .
6. An alteration or correction of information appearing on a signature line, other than the signature itself and the date, shall not invalidate such signature.
7. A signer need only place his signature upon the petition, and need not himself fill in the other required information.
8. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the failure to list a committee to fill vacancies or the failure to list at least three eligible voters as a committee to fill vacancies shall not invalidate the petition unless a vacancy occurs which, under law, may be filled only by such a committee.
9. A person other than the subscribing witness may insert the information required by the subscribing witness statement, provided that all subscribing witness information required above the subscribing witness' signature is inserted either before such subscribing witness signs the statement or in the presence of such subscribing witness.
10. The provisions of this section shall be liberally construed, not inconsistent with substantial compliance thereto and the prevention of fraud.
11. If the number of signatures on any petition sheet is understated in the witness statement, such petition sheet shall not be invalid solely because of such understatement, but such petition sheet will be deemed to contain the number of signatures indicated on such witness statement and the signatures at the end of such petition sheet that are in excess of the number so indicated shall be deemed not to have been filed.
12. A signature on a petition sheet shall not be deemed invalid solely because the address provided is the post office address of the signer provided that proof that such address is the accepted address of such signer is provided to the board of elections no later than three days following the receipt of specific objections to such signature.
13. In addition to the requirement for the signature, the printed name of the signer may be added, provided that the failure to provide a place to print the name or failure to print a name if a space is provided shall not invalidate the signature or petition.

History

Amended by New York Laws 2024 , ch. 93 , Sec. 1 , eff. 2/28/2024 , exp. 12/31/2024 .

Amended by New York Laws 2023 , ch. 120 , Sec. 2 , eff. 3/31/2023 , exp. 12/31/2023 .

Amended by New York Laws 2019 , ch. 533 , Sec. 1 , eff. 12/15/2019 .

Amended by New York Laws 2014 , ch. 20 , Sec. 3 , eff. 5/9/2014 .

Effective Starting 12/31/2024

1. A designating petition may designate candidates for nomination for one or more different public offices or for nomination for election to one or more party positions or both, but designations or nominations for which the petitions are required to be filed in different offices or petitions for the same public office or party position in different political subdivisions may not be combined in the same petition. If two or more offices having the same title are to be filled for different terms, the terms of office shall be included as part of the title of the office.
2. Sheets of a designating petition shall be delivered to the board of elections in the manner prescribed by regulations that shall be promulgated by the state board of elections, provided, however, that the sheets of any volume of a petition shall be numbered. Such regulations shall be no more restrictive than is reasonably necessary for the processing of such petitions by the board of elections. Such regulations shall be binding on the boards of election in each county and in the city of New York. When a determination is made that a designating petition does not comply with such regulations, the candidate shall have three business days from the date of such determination to cure the violation.
3. If a voter shall sign any petition or petitions designating a greater number of candidates for public office or party position than the number of persons to be elected thereto his signatures, if they bear the same date, shall not be counted upon any petition, and if they bear different dates shall be counted in the order of their priority of date, for only so many designees as there are persons to be elected.
4. A signature made earlier than thirty-seven days before the last day to file designating petitions for the primary election shall not be counted.
5. The use of titles, initials or customary abbreviations of given names by the signers of, or witnesses to, designating petitions or the use of customary abbreviations of addresses of such signers or witnesses, shall not invalidate such signatures or witness statement provided that the identity of the signer or witness as a registered voter can be established by reference to the signature on the petition and that of a person whose name appears in the registration poll ledgers , provided, however, nothing in this section shall prevent a court from receiving sworn testimony or other admissible evidence as to the authenticity of a signature when such signature would otherwise be invalidated for not matching the signature on file with the board of elections .
6. An alteration or correction of information appearing on a signature line, other than the signature itself and the date, shall not invalidate such signature.
7. A signer need only place his signature upon the petition, and need not himself fill in the other required information.
8. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the failure to list a committee to fill vacancies or the failure to list at least three eligible voters as a committee to fill vacancies shall not invalidate the petition unless a vacancy occurs which, under law, may be filled only by such a committee.
9. A person other than the subscribing witness may insert the information required by the subscribing witness statement, provided that all subscribing witness information required above the subscribing witness' signature is inserted either before such subscribing witness signs the statement or in the presence of such subscribing witness.
10. The provisions of this section shall be liberally construed, not inconsistent with substantial compliance thereto and the prevention of fraud.
11. If the number of signatures on any petition sheet is understated in the witness statement, such petition sheet shall not be invalid solely because of such understatement, but such petition sheet will be deemed to contain the number of signatures indicated on such witness statement and the signatures at the end of such petition sheet that are in excess of the number so indicated shall be deemed not to have been filed.
12. A signature on a petition sheet shall not be deemed invalid solely because the address provided is the post office address of the signer provided that proof that such address is the accepted address of such signer is provided to the board of elections no later than three days following the receipt of specific objections to such signature.
13. In addition to the requirement for the signature, the printed name of the signer may be added, provided that the failure to provide a place to print the name or failure to print a name if a space is provided shall not invalidate the signature or petition.

History

Amended by New York Laws 2024 , ch. 93 , Sec. 1 , eff. 2/28/2024 , exp. 12/31/2024 .

Amended by New York Laws 2023 , ch. 120 , Sec. 2 , eff. 3/31/2023 , exp. 12/31/2023 .

Amended by New York Laws 2019 , ch. 533 , Sec. 1 , eff. 12/15/2019 .

Amended by New York Laws 2014 , ch. 20 , Sec. 3 , eff. 5/9/2014 .

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Prior Versions of This Statute