Bill Text: NY A10466 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Requires certain elections take place in even-numbered years for certain municipal and judicial officials.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-29 - referred to election law [A10466 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A10466-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          10466

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      May 29, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Walker) --
          read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law

                    CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY

        proposing amendments to section 21 of article 6, article 13, and section
          6 of article 4 of the constitution, in relation to  requiring  certain
          elections be held in even-numbered years at the general election

     1    Section 1. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That section 21 of article
     2  6 of the constitution be amended to read as follows:
     3    §  21.  a. When a vacancy shall occur, otherwise than by expiration of
     4  term, in the office of justice of the supreme court,  of  judge  of  the
     5  county  court,  of judge of the surrogate's court or judge of the family
     6  court outside the city of New York, it shall be filled for [a full]  the
     7  remainder of the term at the next general election occurring in an even-
     8  numbered  year held not less than three months after such vacancy occurs
     9  and, until the vacancy shall be so filled, the governor by and with  the
    10  advice and consent of the senate, if the senate shall be in session, or,
    11  if  the  senate not be in session, the governor may fill such vacancy by
    12  an appointment which shall continue until and including the last day  of
    13  December next after the election at which the vacancy shall be filled.
    14    b.  When  a vacancy shall occur, otherwise than by expiration of term,
    15  in the office of judge of the court of claims, it shall  be  filled  for
    16  the unexpired term in the same manner as an original appointment.
    17    c.  When  a vacancy shall occur, otherwise than by expiration of term,
    18  in the office of judge elected to the city-wide court of civil jurisdic-
    19  tion of the city of New York, it  shall  be  filled  for  [a  full]  the
    20  remainder of the term at the next general election occurring in an even-
    21  numbered  year held not less than three months after such vacancy occurs
    22  and, until the vacancy shall be so filled, the mayor of the city of  New
    23  York  may fill such vacancy by an appointment which shall continue until
    24  and including the last day of December next after the election at  which
    25  the  vacancy shall be filled. When a vacancy shall occur, otherwise than
    26  by expiration of term on the last day of December of any  year,  in  the
    27  office  of  judge  appointed  to the family court within the city of New
    28  York or the city-wide court of criminal jurisdiction of the city of  New
    29  York,  the  mayor  of the city of New York shall fill such vacancy by an
    30  appointment for the unexpired term.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD89119-10-4

        A. 10466                            2

     1    d. When a vacancy shall occur, otherwise than by expiration  of  term,
     2  in  the office of judge of the district court, it shall be filled for [a
     3  full] the remainder of the term at the next general  election  occurring
     4  in  an  even-numbered  year  held  not less than three months after such
     5  vacancy  occurs  and, until the vacancy shall be so filled, the board of
     6  supervisors or the supervisor or supervisors of the affected district if
     7  such district consists of a portion of a county or, in counties with  an
     8  elected  county  executive  officer,  such county executive officer may,
     9  subject to confirmation by the board of supervisors or the supervisor or
    10  supervisors of such district, fill such vacancy by an appointment  which
    11  shall  continue  until and including the last day of December next after
    12  the election at which the vacancy shall be filled.
    13    § 2. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That article 13 of the constitu-
    14  tion be amended by adding two new sections 9 and 10 to read as follows:
    15    § 9. All elections of judicial officers, other than  village  judicial
    16  officers,  shall be elected at the election held on the Tuesday succeed-
    17  ing the first Monday in November in an even-numbered year, and the  term
    18  of every such officer shall expire at the end of an even-numbered year.
    19    §  10.  Notwithstanding  any other provision of this constitution, the
    20  legislature may enact laws which provide for the election of an elective
    21  officer of the state or any political subdivision of the state  to  take
    22  place  on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday in November in an odd-
    23  numbered year for a term which will cause such officer's term to  expire
    24  at the end of an even-numbered year.
    25    §  3. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That section 8 of article 13 of
    26  the constitution be amended to read as follows:
    27    § 8. All elections of city officers, including supervisors, elected in
    28  any city or part of a city, and of county officers elected in any county
    29  wholly included in a city, except to fill vacancies, shall  be  held  on
    30  the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday in November in an [odd-numbered]
    31  even-numbered year, and the term of every such official or officer shall
    32  expire at the end of an [odd-numbered] even-numbered year. [This section
    33  shall not apply to elections of any judicial officer.]
    34    §  4. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That section 3 of article 13 of
    35  the constitution be amended to read as follows:
    36    § 3. The legislature shall provide for filling  vacancies  in  office,
    37  and  in case of elective officers, no person appointed to fill a vacancy
    38  shall hold his or her office by virtue of such appointment  longer  than
    39  the  commencement of the political year next succeeding the first annual
    40  election in an even-numbered year after the happening  of  the  vacancy;
    41  provided,  however, in the case of a simultaneous vacancy in the offices
    42  of governor and lieutenant-governor, such officers shall be  elected  as
    43  required  under  section  six  of article four of this constitution; and
    44  provided further, however, that nothing contained in this article  shall
    45  prohibit  the  filling  of  vacancies  on boards of education, including
    46  boards of education of community districts in the city  school  district
    47  of  the  city  of New York, by appointment until the next regular school
    48  district election, whether or not such appointment shall  extend  beyond
    49  the thirty-first day of December in any year.
    50    §  5.  Resolved (if the Senate concur), That section 6 of article 4 of
    51  the constitution be amended to read as follows:
    52    § 6. The lieutenant-governor shall possess the same qualifications  of
    53  eligibility for office as the governor. The lieutenant-governor shall be
    54  the  president of the senate but shall have only a casting vote therein.
    55  The lieutenant-governor shall receive for his or her services an  annual
    56  salary to be fixed by joint resolution of the senate and assembly.

        A. 10466                            3

     1    In case of vacancy in the offices of both governor and lieutenant-gov-
     2  ernor,  a  governor  and  lieutenant-governor  shall  be elected for the
     3  remainder of the term [at the next  general  election]  on  the  Tuesday
     4  succeeding  the  first  Monday in November happening not less than three
     5  months  after  both  offices  shall have become vacant. No election of a
     6  lieutenant-governor shall be had in any event  except  at  the  time  of
     7  electing a governor.
     8    In case of vacancy in the offices of both governor and lieutenant-gov-
     9  ernor  or  if  both of them shall be impeached, absent from the state or
    10  otherwise unable to discharge the powers and duties  of  the  office  of
    11  governor,  the  temporary  president of the senate shall act as governor
    12  until the inability shall cease or until a governor shall be elected.
    13    In case of vacancy in the office of lieutenant-governor alone,  or  if
    14  the  lieutenant-governor  shall  be  impeached, absent from the state or
    15  otherwise unable to discharge the duties of office, the temporary presi-
    16  dent of the senate shall perform all the duties  of  lieutenant-governor
    17  during such vacancy or inability.
    18    If,  when  the  duty of acting as governor devolves upon the temporary
    19  president of the senate, there be a vacancy in such office or the tempo-
    20  rary president of the senate shall be absent from the state or otherwise
    21  unable to discharge the duties of governor, the speaker of the  assembly
    22  shall act as governor during such vacancy or inability.
    23    The  legislature  may provide for the devolution of the duty of acting
    24  as governor in any case not provided for in this article.
    25    § 6. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That subdivision (a) of  section
    26  13 of article 13 of the constitution be amended to read as follows:
    27    (a)  Except  in counties in the city of New York and except as author-
    28  ized in section one of article nine of this constitution,  registers  in
    29  counties having registers shall be chosen by the electors of the respec-
    30  tive  counties once in every [three] four years in an even-numbered year
    31  and whenever the occurring of vacancies shall require; the  sheriff  and
    32  the  clerk  of each county shall be chosen by the electors once in every
    33  [three or] four years in an even-numbered year as the legislature  shall
    34  direct.  Sheriffs  shall  hold no other office.  They may be required by
    35  law to renew their security, from time to time; and in default of giving
    36  such new security, their offices shall be deemed  vacant.  The  governor
    37  may  remove  any  elective  sheriff,  county clerk, district attorney or
    38  register within the term for which he or she shall  have  been  elected;
    39  but  before  so  doing the governor shall give to such officer a copy of
    40  the charges against him or her and an opportunity of being heard in  his
    41  or  her  defense.  In each county a district attorney shall be chosen by
    42  the electors once in every [three or] four  years  in  an  even-numbered
    43  year  as  the  legislature shall direct. The clerk of each county in the
    44  city of New York shall be appointed, and be subject to removal,  by  the
    45  appellate  division  of  the supreme court in the judicial department in
    46  which the county is located. In addition to his or her powers and duties
    47  as clerk of the supreme court, he or she shall  have  power  to  select,
    48  draw,  summon and empanel grand and petit jurors in the manner and under
    49  the conditions now or hereafter prescribed by law, and shall  have  such
    50  other  powers and duties as shall be prescribed by the city from time to
    51  time by local law.
    52    § 7. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That the foregoing amendments be
    53  referred to the first regular legislative session  convening  after  the
    54  next  succeeding  general  election  of members of the assembly, and, in
    55  conformity with  section  1  of  article  19  of  the  constitution,  be
    56  published for 3 months previous to the time of such election.
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