Ballot Questions
NYS has limited referendum – only certain kinds of questions can be sent to all of the state’s voters on the ballot. These 3 categories are:
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- Proposed amendments to the state constitution (which we’re tracking here)
- Bond acts – the state constitution requires that if the state wants to take on debt passed a certain $ amount, it has explain the purpose of the debt and get voter approval
- Constitutional Conventions – the state constitution also requires that every 20 years, voters are asked if they want to bring together a convention to propose revisions (that was on the ballot in 2017, and will be back on in 2037!)
We’re tracking every time the voters weighed in on any ballot question.
Check out the lists below – click on a ballot question to see how we voted on it – where we could get the data, we mapped how counties voted!
And come back soon for even more NY Constitution fresh-squeezed! We’re in the process of breaking down each ballot question by policy issue and getting data to help understand what have been the big issues in state constitutional history.
Every Ballot Question Ever Sent to NYS Voters
to change II.1.leg - to extend the right to vote to women to add VII.4.alt - to mandate that in order for the state to take on debts, the legislature must pass specific bills outlining the purpose, and requiring approval by voters via ballot question Re Chapter 570 of the Laws of 1915, providing for "issuing bonds to the amount of not to exceed twenty-seven million dollars in addition to bonds heretofore authorized by the provisions of chapter one hundred and forty-seven of the laws of nineteen hundred and three, for the improvement of the Erie canal, the Oswego canal, and the Champlain canal, and for the payment of the improvement under such act, and providing for a submission of the same to the people to be voted upon at the general election to be held in the year nineteen hundred and fifteen." to change the whole NYS constitution, except for certain provisions with separate ballot questions - as proposed by the 1915 NY constitutional convention to change III.2, III.3, III.4, III.5 - to address legislative districts and terms of office to add X, X.1, X.2, X.3 - to provide for taxation Constitutional convention "Shall chapter (here insert the number of the chapter) of the laws of nineteen hundred and sixteen, entitled 'An act making provision for issuing bonds to the amount of not to exceed ten million dollars for the acquisition of lands for state park purposes, and providing for a submission of the same to the people to be voted upon at the general election to be held in the year nineteen hundred and sixteen,' be approved?" to change II.1 - to extend the right to vote to women to change VIII.10 - to address limitations on debts of cities, towns, and counties to change VII.4, VII.11 - to mandate that in order for the state to take on debts, the legislature must pass specific bills outlining the purpose, get approval by voters via ballot question, and provide for the repayment of the debt via tax and/or budget appropriation to change VII.7 - to allow the state to construct a particular highway in the Adirondacks, as an exception to the provision that forest preserves be kept forever wild to change VII.8 - to allow the state to sell parts of canals, as an exception to the prohibition against sale of the state's canals "Shall chapter (here insert the number of the chapter) of the laws of nineteen hundred and eighteen, entitled 'An act to amend chapter two hundred and ninety-eight of the laws of nineteen hundred and twelve, authorizing the sale of bonds for the construction and improvement of state and county highways, in relation to providing for the disposition of certain unexpected balances for highway improvement; and to provide for a submission of the same to the people to be voted upon at the general election to be held in the year nineteen hundred and eighteen,' be approved?" to change I.7 - to provide for laws re use of land for drainage to change II.1.a - to allow absentee voting to change III.6 - to increase legislators' salaries, with additional compensation for the assembly speaker to change VI.7 - to provide for judges' salaries to change VII.2, VII.4, VII.5, VII.11, VII.12 - to address state debt "Shall chapter (here insert the number of the chapter) of the laws of nineteen hundred and twenty, entitled 'An act making provision for issuing bonds to the amount of not to exceed forty-five million dollars for the payment of a bonus to persons who served in the military or naval service of the United States at any time between the sixth day of April, nineteen hundred and seventeen, and the eleventh day of November, nineteen hundred and eighteen, and providing for a submission of the same to the people to be voted upon at the general election to be held in the year nineteen hundred and twenty,' be approved?" to change V.9 - to expand veterans civil service preference to those who served in any war, and not restricted to those who served in the Civil War to change III.6 - to increase legislators' salaries to change II.1 - to require that voters be able to read and write in English to change III.26, III.27 - to allow the legislature to provide for local county government in Nassau and Westchester counties to change VI.18 - to provide for children's courts and domestic courts to change VII.8.version1 - to allow the state to sell parts of canals, as an exception to the prohibition against sale of the state's canals to change VII.8.version2 - to allow the state to sell parts of canals, as an exception to the prohibition against sale of the state's canals to change VI.7 - to specify judges' salaries to change XII.2 - to lay out how the state should pass special city laws to add VII.13 - to give a bonus to veterans of World War IWant to filter or search NY's ballot questions? Click here!
Want to filter or search NY's ballot questions? Click here!