EAdIElection Administration Index
How professionally and independently is election administration codified?
Dimensions
Accountability
50.0% · 1/2| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| COI.1Conflict-of-interest disclosureAre commissioners and senior election staff required by statute to disclose financial interests (vendor relationships, party positions, candidate connections) publicly? | 0/10.0% | No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: § 3-106 codifies adoption of a 'fair campaign code' (ethical standards for candidates/parties), unrelated to administrator conflict-of-interest disclosure. No statutory COI-disclosure regime for election administrators codified in ELN. | § view source 2026-05-18 |
| COI.2Judicial review of administrative decisionsIs the right to seek judicial review of election-authority decisions codified, with standing, timeline, and venue defined? | 1/1100.0% | § 15-138 codifies judicial review of village-election matters. § 3-104 codifies enforcement-power judicial review. § 16-* (Article 16) codifies judicial-proceeding venue (supreme/county court), standing, and remedies for board-of-elections decisions. | § view source 2026-05-18 |
Commission
100.0% · 5/5| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| COMM.1Statutory grounding of commissionIs the election commission's existence and core mandate set in the constitution (rather than statute alone, regulation, or executive order)? | 2/2100.0% | § 3-102 codifies the state board of elections' general powers and duties (rule-making, oversight of county boards, statewide list, enforcement). § 3-100 codifies the board's statutory creation within the executive department. § 3-200 codifies county boards. Comprehensive statutory grounding. | § view source 2026-05-18 |
| COMM.2Multi-branch appointmentAre commission members appointed by multiple branches (legislature, judiciary, executive) such that no single branch unilaterally controls composition? | 1/1100.0% | § 3-100 codifies a 4-commissioner state board with split multi-branch appointment: governor appoints two on recommendation of major-party state-committee chairs, plus two on joint recommendation of legislative leaders (one per party). The legislative-leader-appointed commissioners serve as co-chairs. Genuine multi-branch + bipartisan structure codified. | § view source 2026-05-18 |
| COMM.3Term protectionAre commissioner terms defined in statute with fixed length, staggered cycles, and statutory grounds for removal? | 1/1100.0% | § 3-100 codifies 2-year terms for state board commissioners with vacancy-fill procedure preserving appointing-authority discretion. § 3-200 codifies county commissioner terms + removal-by-governor-for-cause (same procedure as sheriff). § 3-416 codifies inspector-removal grounds and procedure. | § view source 2026-05-18 |
| COMM.4Political-balance requirementIs the commission's composition required by statute to be politically balanced (party-balanced, supermajority-confirmation, or independent appointment by judiciary)? | 1/1100.0% | § 3-400 codifies that election inspectors are appointed in bipartisan pairs (two from different parties at each polling place). § 3-100 codifies bipartisan state-board structure. § 9-211(1) codifies bipartisan-committee audit. § 9-208 codifies bipartisan recanvass. Political-balance is structurally codified throughout the administration. | § view source 2026-05-18 |
Funding
25.0% · 1/4| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| FUND.1Independent funding lineIs the election authority's budget a separate statutory line item (not subject to mid-cycle reallocation by the executive branch alone)? | 0/10.0% | § 3-100 codifies board creation within executive department but funding-line independence not separately codified — board funding flows from general state budget appropriations through executive department, no dedicated indemnification statute. | § view source 2026-05-18 |
| FUND.2Multi-year funding cycleAre election infrastructure budgets set on a multi-year cycle (avoiding annual political renegotiation of election-administration money)? | 0/10.0% | No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: § 10-118 codifies that the state shall reimburse counties for military-voting costs. § 15-102 / § 1-104 are definitions. No multi-year funding cycle codified; election funding is appropriated annually. | § view source 2026-05-18 |
| FUND.3Foreign funding prohibitionIs foreign-source funding of the election authority (and election administration vendors, where applicable) prohibited by statute? | 1/250.0% | § 14-107 codifies independent-expenditure rules (definitions, reporting). § 14-114 (not in FTS top-5 for this datapoint) codifies foreign-source contribution prohibitions. NY ELN § 14-114 explicitly prohibits foreign-national contributions consistent with 52 USC § 30121. | § view source 2026-05-18 |
Staff Training
33.3% · 1/3| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| STAFF.1Career professional staffIs the election authority's career staff (professional employees, not political appointees) protected by civil-service or analogous merit-based statute? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-18 |
| STAFF.2Mandatory trainingIs training for election officials and poll workers required by statute, with content and frequency defined? | 1/1100.0% | § 3-412 codifies mandatory annual training: 'of elections shall, at least once every year, conduct a mandatory school for the instruction of election inspectors, poll clerks and election coordinators.' § 3-401 codifies election coordinator provision. § 3-102 codifies state board training standards. | § view source 2026-05-18 |
| STAFF.3Whistleblower protectionAre election-related whistleblower protections (for staff reporting irregularities) codified in statute? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-18 |
Vendor Oversight
33.3% · 1/3| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CERT.1Certification process codifiedIs the voting-equipment certification process (criteria, evaluators, timeline, public-comment period) codified in statute or regulation? | 1/1100.0% | § 7-201 codifies state board examination and approval of voting machines/systems. § 7-202 codifies machine-design requirements (locks, protective counters, voter-verifiable audit record, BMD accessibility). § 7-206 codifies pre-election testing. § 7-200 codifies adoption/use procedure. Comprehensive certification framework codified. | § view source 2026-05-18 |
| CERT.2Recertification triggersAre recertification triggers (after material updates, after defects discovered, on a fixed schedule) codified? | 0/10.0% | § 17-210 (NY VRA) codifies preclearance procedure for covered jurisdictions — applies to election-procedure changes, not voting-system recertification. NY ELN doesn't codify a structured recertification-trigger framework for voting systems. | § view source 2026-05-18 |
| CERT.3Decertification grounds & procedureAre the grounds for revoking certification, and the procedure for doing so, defined in statute? | 0/10.0% | No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: § 14-104 (campaign-finance statements) is the FTS-top candidate but unrelated to voting-system decertification. NY ELN does not codify decertification grounds/procedure for voting systems; decertification operates via state board regulation rather than statute. | § view source 2026-05-18 |