ALBANY — The state Legislature on Monday passed a slate of electoral reform bills that would update New York's arcane voting laws and increase access to the polls on Election Day.

The ambitious legislation, which included two bills requiring a constitutional amendment, moved hastily through committees and passed overwhelmingly in both houses on Monday afternoon.

Activists, noting New York's abysmal voter turnout compared to other states, have long pushed for these reforms, including closing a loophole that allows unfettered donations from limited liability companies, no-excuse absentee voting, early voting, same-day voter registration, and state and federal primary consolidation.

Most of the measures had passed the overwhelmingly Democratic Assembly numerous times, but were impeded by Senate Republicans, who feared that such reforms would jeopardize the conference's slim majority in the chamber.

"The Assembly Majority is committed to making it easier, not harder for New Yorkers to exercise their constitutional right to vote," Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie told reporters before Monday's session.

Senate Democrats, following a high turnout election that allowed them to claim nine seats and seize control of the house, made electoral reform their first priority in 2019.

"Government should be about breaking down barriers, which is why the Senate Democratic Majority is making it easier for those who are eligible to vote. We need more voices in our democracy, not fewer," Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said.

Early voting, which establishes a nine-day voting period outside of election day, will allow counties flexibility to offer hours that best meet the needs of its residents. The measure goes into effect immediately, and will be available for the 2019 general election.

Some form of early voting is available in 38 states and the District of Columbia, including Texas and Louisiana, noted the bill's sponsor, Sen. Zellnor Myrie.

"Too many New Yorkers struggle to get to the polls because of work obligations, family obligations, or other barriers," Myrie said.

Republicans in the Senate criticized the hasty manner in which the bill moved through the Senate committee process Monday morning, but only 13 of 24 Republicans voted against it.

Sen. Cathy Young, R-Olean, cited a 2013 study indicating that early voting may be associated with lower turnout, questioned its financial impacts, and suggested that it would open up the electoral system to voter fraud.

"There hasn't been any kind of public input on this," Young said. "It has just been rushed through."

There are still open questions regarding the cost of implementation. Democrats estimate early voting will cost $7 million statewide, but will be absorbed by the estimated $25 million saved by the counties when they consolidate primary days.

New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) places the cost of expanded voting services significantly higher, burdening local boards of elections.

"Estimates for these new provisions suggest that it will cost between $500,000 to $1 million per county, depending on its size," NYSAC executive director Stephen J. Acquario said. "Under a two percent property tax cap, counties cannot afford additional new costs associated with early voting and other election reforms."

Consolidating New York's split primary election days has also been the subject of much debate in the Senate. Democrats want a June election day, while Republicans have pushed for a primary later in the summer to allow more time for petitioning.

Electoral reforms Early Voting: Allows eligible voters in New York State to vote in person during a designated period. Consolidation of Federal and State Primaries: Makes state primary elections the same day as federal primary elections. It also ensures that New York State's election law complies with the federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act. Closing the LLC Loophole: Amends Election Law to hold LLC's to the same aggregate contribution limit of $5,000 that applies to corporations. Same-Day Voter Registration: Amends the constitution to remove the ten-day advance voter registration requirement, subject to second passage of the next legislature and approval by a statewide referendum. No-Excuse Absentee Voting: Amends the state Constitution to allow voter to request to vote by mail without declaring reason. Constitutional amendments must pass the Legislature twice and then be approved by voters in referendum. Voter Registration Transfers: Requires the Board of Elections to transfer the registration and enrollment of a voter who moves within New York State. Voter Pre-Registration: Enable 16- and 17-year olds to pre-register to vote and requires local boards of education to adopt policies to promote student voter registration and pre-registration. See More Collapse

The closure of the LLC loophole deals a blow to the real estate industry, which has flooded the campaign accounts of state lawmakers for two decades, who in turn have helped block meaningful to reform to New York City's rent laws.

The loophole is based on a 1996 state Board of Elections ruling that determined every LLC is subject to its own campaign finance limits, even if several LLCs are held by a single owner. This has allowed special interests to circumvent the $5,000 campaign contribution limit for corporations.

The legislation includes a constitutional amendment that requires the disclosure of the identity and proportion of ownership of all direct and indirect owners of the membership interests in the LLC, and may go into effect as soon as 2021.

Two more bills, sponsored Sen. David Carlucci, will allow voter registration to follow residents who move within the state and permit 16- and 17-year-olds to register to vote in advance of their 18th birthday.

Carlucci said that measure is intended to encourage younger New Yorkers to vote.

"Statistics have shown that if young people are registered at an early age, then it becomes a habit for the rest of their lives," he said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who had promised that these reforms would be passed within the first 100 days of the session, on Monday announced additional electoral reforms including making Election Day a state holiday, banning all corporate donations and expanding upstate voting hours during primary elections.

In the Capital Region, and throughout most of upstate, primary polls are open noon-9 p.m. In New York City and Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam and Erie counties, polls open at 6 a.m.

"Let's fix these crazy irregularities," Cuomo told WAMC's Alan Chartock.

Monday's committee meetings and floor proceedings were packed with activists, who turned out in numbers to witness the historic moment.

"We had over 150 grassroots activists from around the state who dropped everything to be here for this historic day," said Susan Lerner of the Let NY Vote coalition. "This was a spectacular first step and we are really excited to work on the next package that we expect will happen between now and June."