Bill > A05629

This bill establishes clear guidelines for who can serve as an authorized agent of a voter when handling absentee ballots in New York. An authorized agent is defined as a close family member (such as a spouse, parent, child, or sibling), a member of the voter's household, or someone holding a power of attorney for the voter. The bill limits an authorized agent to receiving no more than five absentee ballots for a single election, which aims to prevent potential ballot collection abuse. Additionally, the bill creates legal penalties for agents who fail to deliver a ballot that was picked up for a voter or who interfere with a voter's ballot marking process. The legislation modifies existing election law to clarify these definitions and restrictions, updating language to be more gender-neutral and specifying the roles and responsibilities of absentee ballot agents. These changes are intended to maintain the integrity of the absentee voting process by establishing clear boundaries and consequences for those assisting voters with mail-in ballots.

Government Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A5629