Did ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ inspire a New York voting law?
The so-called ‘Larry David Law’ will allow people to hand out water to thirsty voters
New Yorkers out to vote can now receive water while online. Did Larry David fight for your right to not be thirsty? Photo by John Johnson/HBO
By PJ Grisar June 24, 2025
Larry David never met an arbitrary rule he didn’t like — except for those of his own making. This heatwave Election Day, New Yorkers may have him to thank for helping them stay cool.
Evoking the spirit of one of our greatest secular sages on Saturday, Governor Kathy Hochul repealed State Election Law Section 17-140, that allowed criminal penalties for those who gave out small items like food or drink at polling sites, as David famously did in violation of Georgia law in the final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
“Our democracy works best when every eligible voter has a chance to cast their ballot,” Hochul said. “Providing water to voters waiting in line is a common-sense way to ensure New Yorkers have an easy, safe and secure experience in the voting booth.”
One writer for rock station 101.5 WPDH dubbed this legislation the “Larry David Law,” owing to the episode of Curb in which David becomes an accidental champion of voting when he hands a bottle of water to Leon’s elderly aunt in Atlanta’s punishing heat while she waits to perform her civic duty.
As I’ve mentioned before, water is a theme of Curb, dating back to at least season 2, when a woman scolds David for attempting to bring a water bottle into the theater in violation of “the rules.” (In another episode, David ended up in court for neglecting to water one of his plants.)
While there’s no guarantee that Hochul had Curb on her mind when she made this welcome change, it is certainly in keeping with his spirit and that of one of her Jewish constituents.
Paul Rudd, who lives in Rhinebeck, has made a habit of greeting hungry and thirsty voters with a treat, surprising some in 2020 with cookies and, in the 2024 election, passing out water bottles to students in Philadelphia.
The legislation is already showing promise on election day on the Upper West Side, where residents spotted a truck with volunteers for mayoral candidates Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander, who endorsed each other, offering water to beat the heat.
Stay hydrated, and remember, in the words of Rav David, it is worse to be cold than hot.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
