Bill Text: NY S03877 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Establishes a county representation system for electing the governor and lieutenant-governor within the state.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-03-13 - OPINION REFERRED TO JUDICIARY [S03877 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S03877-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         3877--A

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 20, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sens. ORTT, HELMING -- read twice and ordered printed, and
          when  printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary -- commit-
          tee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and  recom-
          mitted to said committee

                    CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY

        proposing an amendment to section 1 of article 4 of the constitution, in
          relation  to  establishing a county representation system for electing
          the governor and lieutenant-governor within the state

     1    Section 1. Resolved (if the Assembly concur), That section 1 of  arti-
     2  cle  4  of the constitution be amended and a new section 1-a is added to
     3  read as follows:
     4    Section 1. (a) The executive power shall be vested  in  the  governor,
     5  who  shall  hold office for four years; the lieutenant-governor shall be
     6  chosen at the same time, and for the same term. The governor  and  lieu-
     7  tenant-governor shall be chosen at the general election held in the year
     8  nineteen  hundred  thirty-eight,  and each fourth year thereafter.  They
     9  shall be chosen jointly, by the casting by each voter of a  single  vote
    10  applicable to both offices, and the legislature by law shall provide for
    11  making  such  choice  in  such manner. The respective persons having the
    12  highest number of county representation votes cast jointly for them  for
    13  governor and lieutenant-governor respectively shall be elected.
    14    (b) In the event a majority of county representation votes are not for
    15  a  single person for the governor or lieutenant-governor, the respective
    16  person having the highest number of votes  cast  jointly  for  them  for
    17  governor or lieutenant-governor respectively shall be elected.
    18    §  1-a.  (a) County representation votes for the governor and lieuten-
    19  ant-governor shall be distributed as follows:
    20    (i) Each county within the state shall be assigned two  county  repre-
    21  sentation votes; and
    22    (ii)  Each  county  shall  be  assigned at least one additional county
    23  representation vote based on the county's  population  such  that  these
    24  additional  county  representation  votes  sum to four hundred fourteen.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD89098-07-9
        S. 3877--A                          2

     1  Such additional county representation votes shall be assigned  to  coun-
     2  ties  using the method of equal proportions by using the Huntington-Hill
     3  method.
     4    (b)  County  representation  votes  shall be cast for the governor and
     5  lieutenant-governor from each county based  on  the  respective  persons
     6  having  the largest number of votes cast jointly for them for the gover-
     7  nor and lieutenant-governor respectively from such county.
     8    § 2. Resolved (if the Assembly concur), That the  foregoing  amendment
     9  be referred to the first regular legislative session convening after the
    10  next  succeeding  general  election  of members of the assembly, and, in
    11  conformity with  section  1  of  article  19  of  the  constitution,  be
    12  published for 3 months previous to the time of such election.