N.Y. Election Law § 6-134: Designating petition; rules

§ 6-134. Designating petition; rules. 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.

1-a. A designating petition for the offices of governor and lieutenant

governor shall be valid only if such petition jointly designates

candidates for both offices.

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-six, a signature made earlier

than forty-one days before the last day to file designating petitions

for the primary election, or a signature made later than the twelfth

Thursday preceding the primary election, shall not be counted.

* NB Repealed December 31, 2026

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.

14. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, upon receipt

of a designating petition pursuant to this section, the board of

elections of the city of New York shall provide notice to each candidate

designated in such petition for election to a party position of a county

committee located within the city of New York informing such candidate

of such designation.