Pennsylvania Appointed Judges and Retention Elections Amendment (May 1969)
| Pennsylvania Appointed Judges and Retention Elections Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date May 20, 1969 | |
| Topic State judiciary | |
Status Defeated | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
Pennsylvania Appointed Judges and Retention Elections Amendment was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Pennsylvania on May 20, 1969. It was defeated.[1]
A "yes" vote supported changing the system for selecting statewide judges from partisan elections to governor appointments and retention elections. |
A "no" vote opposed changing the system for selecting statewide judges, thus continuing to provide for partisan elections. |
Election results
|
Pennsylvania Appointed Judges and Retention Elections Amendment |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 624,453 | 49.23% | ||
|
|
643,960 | 50.77% | ||
-
- Results are officially certified.
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Appointed Judges and Retention Elections Amendment was as follows:
| “ | Shall justices and judges of the Supreme, Superior, Commonwealth and all other statewide courts be appointed by the Governor from a list of qualified persons submitted by a non-partisan Judicial Qualifications Commission, subject to retention in office thereafter by vote of the electorate, instead of by partisan nomination and election? | ” |
Path to the ballot
In Pennsylvania, the General Assembly must pass a constitutional amendment by a simple majority vote during two successive legislative sessions to refer the measure to the ballot for voter consideration. The legislature can also pass a measure by a two-thirds vote during one legislative session if a “major emergency threatens or is about to threaten the Commonwealth.”
See also
External links
Footnotes
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