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New York Election of City Mayors Amendment (1839)
| New York Amendment 1 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Local government officials and elections |
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| Status |
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| Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
Origin |
New York Amendment 1 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in New York on November 4, 1839. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported allowing the state legislature to provide for the annual election of city mayors by eligible male voters, rather than requiring mayors to be appointed annually by city councils. |
A "no" vote opposed allowing the state legislature to provide for the annual election of city mayors by eligible male voters, thereby maintaining the requirement that mayors be appointed annually by city councils. |
Election results
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New York Amendment 1 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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90,473 | 99.58% | ||
| No | 382 | 0.42% | ||
Overview
Joseph F. Zimmerman, a professor of political science at State University of New York at Albany, wrote:[1]
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During the colonial period, central control of cities was epitomized by appointment of mayors by the Royal Governor. The policy of central appointment was continued by the first state constitution, adopted in 1777, which vested this power in the Council of Appointment—composed of the governor and one senator from each of four “great districts” elected by the assembly—unless the legislature chose to change the selection system. Unhappiness with the appointment system and vetoes by the Council of Revision generated agitation for a constitutional convention. Held in 1821, the convention drafted a new constitution without provision for the two councils. Veto power was vested in the governor, and the legislature was authorized to elect the major state officers. The constitution also included a provision for the annual appointment of the mayor of each city by the common council. An 1833 constitutional amendment provided for the popular election of the New York City mayor, and an 1839 amendment authorized the legislature to provide for the popular election of the mayor of every other city.[2] |
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Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Amendment 1 was as follows:
| “ | For the election of Mayors by the people. Against the election of Mayors by the people. | ” |
Constitutional changes
The ballot measure added the following constitutional amendment to the New York Constitution of 1821:[3]
Path to the ballot
Per the Constitution of 1821, a constitutional amendment had to pass the New York State Legislature in two consecutive sessions, requiring a simple majority vote in the first session and a two-thirds majority vote in the second.[3]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Zimmerman, J. F. (1983). The development of local discretionary authority in New York. Publius: The Journal of Federalism, 13(1), 89–103
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Historical Society of the New York Courts, "The Second Constitution of New York, 1821
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