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NY A09105
Bill
Status
Introduced
1/20/2012
Primary Sponsor
Peter Rivera
Click for details
AI Summary
- Creates Article 3-A of Civil Rights Law establishing a state "Voting Rights Act" to protect racial, color, and language minority groups in elections
- Prohibits at-large election methods that impair the ability of protected classes to elect candidates of their choice or influence election outcomes through vote dilution
- Establishes that violations are proven by demonstrating racially polarized voting patterns, without requiring proof of discriminatory intent
- Requires courts to implement district-based elections as remedy upon finding a violation
- Allows prevailing plaintiffs (other than the state) to recover reasonable attorney's fees and expert witness costs, while defendants cannot recover costs unless the court finds the action frivolous
Legislative Description
Enacts the "voting rights act" to prohibit the establishment of an at-large election district in a political subdivision which would impair representation of a protected class of voters.
Last Action
enacting clause stricken
9/4/2012
Committee Referrals
Election Law1/20/2012
Full Bill Text
No bill text available