New York legislation · 2025-2026 General Assembly
New York A4881: Relates to filling vacancies in elective offices
Status: In committee, January 7, 2026
Sets procedures for when special elections may be consolidated with general elections.
What the bill says
An act to amend the public officers law, in relation to filling vacancies in elective offices.
From the introduced text, February 7, 2025:
AN ACT to amend the public officers law, in relation to filling vacancies in elective offices THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. Legislative findings. The Legislature finds that New York's current system of filling federal and state elected office vacancies places undue financial and operational burdens on local boards of elections and exacerbates voter confusion and fatigue by asking voters to frequently participate in elections throughout the year, thus resulting in lower voter turnout and decreased participation in the electoral process. Local boards must comply with state requirements and federal requirements under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which include training poll workers to ensure elections remain inclusive and accessible to voters. The unpredictability of holding multiple elections throughout the year may leave local boards unable to fiscally plan for such unexpected expenses. County boards generally have months of preparation ahead of elections given the complexities associated with executing an election - including setting up poll sites, processing voter registrations, and gathering the necessary staff to help run the election. It is therefore an inefficient use of funds to schedule a special election so close to a general election date, causing county boards to reduplicate the significant effort and funding in a short period of time. Further, …
Sponsors
- Carl Heastie (D, 83) · primary sponsor
Latest actions
- : REFERRED TO ELECTION LAW
- : REFERRED TO ELECTION LAW
Subjects: Public Officers Law
Common questions
- What is A4881?
- A4881 is a bill in the New York Legislature (2025-2026 General Assembly): Relates to filling vacancies in elective offices.
- What does A4881 do?
- In its own words: An act to amend the public officers law, in relation to filling vacancies in elective offices.
- What is the status of A4881?
- In committee as of January 7, 2026. Latest action: REFERRED TO ELECTION LAW (January 7, 2026).
- Who sponsored A4881?
- Carl Heastie (D, 83).
- Where is the official record for A4881?
- On the New York Legislature website: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A4881
Source: official New York record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.