New York 2017 ballot measures

2017 New York Ballot Measures
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2017 U.S. State Ballot Measures
2018 » « 2016
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In 2017, three statewide ballot measures were certified to appear on the ballot in New York on November 7, 2017. Two were approved, and one was defeated.

HIGHLIGHTS

Proposal 1 would have called for a constitutional convention to explore proposals for changes to the state constitution. It was defeated.

Proposal 2 allowed judges to reduce or revoke the state pension of a public officer convicted of a felony related to his or her duties. It was approved.

Proposal 3 created a 250-acre land bank designed to allow local governments to request forest preserve land for projects in exchange for the state acquiring 250 acres for the forest preserves. It was approved.

On the ballot

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
ConCon	Proposal 1	ConCon	Holds a constitutional convention	d
LRCA	Proposal 2	Gov't Acc	Allows judges to revoke the state pension of a public officer convicted of a felony related to officer's duties	a
LRCA	Proposal 3	Forests and Parks	Creates a 250-acre land bank to provide forest preserve land for local projects	a

Getting measures on the ballot

New York does not provide for citizen initiatives. The New York Constitution provides for an automatic ballot referral of a constitutional convention question in 20-year intervals, with one in 2017. All other ballot measures must be referred by the New York State Legislature. A majority vote is required in two successive sessions of the legislature in order to qualify a constitutional amendment for the statewide ballot. To get a bond issue placed on the statewide ballot, a majority vote is required in one session of the legislature. The New York Governor may veto bond measures, but not constitutional amendments, from appearing on the ballot. Ballot measures must be passed by the legislature at least three months before the general election. The 2017 state legislative session was projected to run from January 4 through December 31, 2017.

Summary of campaign contributions

See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2017

As of November 23, 2025, $5.29 million had been raised to support or oppose the New York Constitutional Convention Question. Committees had not formed for the other two ballot measures, both of which were constitutional amendments.

The following chart illustrates how much support and opposition committees had amassed in campaign contributions for each measure on the ballot:

Ballot Measure:	Support contributions:	Opposition contributions:	Outcome:
New York Proposal 1, Constitutional Convention Question (2017)	$1,006,227.46	$4,282,178.99	d
New York Proposal 3, Forest Preserve Land Bank Amendment (2017)	$0.00	$0.00	a
New York Proposal 2, Pension Forfeiture for Convicted Officials Amendment (2017)	$0.00	$0.00	a

Historical facts

See also: List of New York ballot measures

• A total of 29 measures appeared on statewide ballots in New York from 1995 to 2016.
• Between 1995 and 2015, an average of two measures appeared on the ballot in New York during odd-numbered election years.
• From 1995 to 2015, the number of measures on statewide ballots during odd-numbered election years ranged from zero to six.
• Between 1995 and 2016, about 69 percent (20 of 29) of the total number of measures that appeared on statewide ballots were approved, and about 31 percent (9 of 29) were defeated.

New York statewide ballot measures, 1995-2016
Years	Total number	Approved	Percent approved	Defeated	Percent defeated	Annual average	Annual median	Annual minimum	Annual maximum
Even years	6	5	83.3%	1	16.7%	0.6	0.0	0	3
Odd years	23	15	65.2%	8	34.8%	2.1	2.0	0	6
All years	29	20	69.0%	9	31.0%	1.3	1.0	0	6

State profile

Demographic data for New York
	New York	U.S.
Total population:	19,747,183	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	47,126	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	64.6%	73.6%
Black/African American:	15.6%	12.6%
Asian:	8%	5.1%
Native American:	0.4%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.9%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	18.4%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	85.6%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	34.2%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$59,269	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	18.5%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in New York. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in New York

New York voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, 18 are located in New York, accounting for 8.74 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. New York had 14 Retained Pivot Counties and four Boomerang Pivot Counties, accounting for 7.73 and 16.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

More New York coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in New York
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• More...

See also

• 2017 ballot measures
• List of New York ballot measures
• Laws governing ballot measures in New York
• Campaign finance requirements for New York ballot measures

External links

• New York State Board of Elections