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 XII.2, XII.3, XII.4, XII.5, XII.6, XII.7 - to address local control, aka "home rule," for cities to change VII.7 - to allow the state to provide for water power development, as an exception to the provision that forest preserves be kept forever wild to add VIII.10-a - to address debt limitations of cities and counties re real estate and taxation to change II.1.a - to extend absentee voting to veterans in soldiers' and sailors' homes Relating to $50,000,000 Bond Issue for Construction of Certain State Institutions. to add VII.15 - to allow the legislature to take on debts to eliminate railroad crossings to add VII.14 - to allow the legislature to take on debts to construct buildings to change V.1, V.2, V.3, V.4, V.5, V.6, VIII.11 - to reorganize state departments to change VI.1, VI.2, VI.3, VI.4, VI.5, VI.6, VI.7, VI.8, VI.9, VI.10, VI.11, VI.12, VI.13, VI.14, VI.15, VI.16, VI.17, VI.18, VI.19, VI.20, VI.21, VI.22, VI.23 - to reorganize the judicial system On Question Ascertaining Opinion of New York State Voters on Modification by Congress of the Eighteenth Amendment (Prohibition Referendum) to add IV-A.1, IV-A.2, IV-A.3, IV-A.4 - to establish the state budget process to change VIII.10, VIII.10-a - to address debt limitations of cities and counties re real estate, transportation, and taxation to change VII.14 - to address how the state legislature and local governments repay debts re railroad crossings to change III.6, IV.4, IV.8 - to increase salaries of legislators, the governor, and the lieutenant governor to change V.4 - to establish that the governor is the head of the executive department to change III.2, IV.1, XIV.1 - to increase the terms of legislators, the governor, and the lieutenant governor, and to clarify election years 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 I.7 - to allow counties (along with cities) to take more private lands than may be needed for public use for just compensation and to sell the remainder to add XII.8 - to require a referendum before a city's property is annexed to change V.6 - to address civil service preference for veterans to change II.1.a - to extend absentee voting to veterans in United States veterans' bureau hospitals to change III.26 - to address local county governments to change VII.3 - to allow the state to contract debts re forest fires to change VI.17 - to allow the transfer of criminal cases from justices of the peace to inferior criminal courts to change II.4, III.4, III.5 - to use federal census, rather than state census, for drawing state districts to change III.7 - to allow state legislators to simultaneously get a civil appointment to add VII.16 - to acquire more land for reforestation in the Adirondacks and Catskills to change VI.1 - to allow the legislature to divide/add another judicial district to change V.2, VIII.11, VIII.14, VIII.15 - to rename the state's Department of Charities as the Department of Social WelfareWant to filter or search NY's ballot questions? Click here!
Want to filter or search NY's ballot questions? Click here!