Bill Text: NY A04392 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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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 7-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-26 - opinion referred to judiciary [A04392 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A04392-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4392

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 14, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. MORINELLO, McDONOUGH, NORRIS, DeSTEFANO, BRABENEC
          --  Multi-Sponsored  by  --  M. of A. BARCLAY, MILLER -- read once and
          referred to the Committee on Judiciary

                    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 Senate concur), That section 1 of article
     2  4 of the constitution be amended and a new section 1-a is added to  read
     3  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.
    25  Such  additional  county representation votes shall be assigned to coun-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD89077-01-3
        A. 4392                             2

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