Elections in New York (state)
Elections in New York State |
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The results of elections in the state of New York have tended to be more Democratic-leaning than in most of the United States, with in recent decades a solid majority of Democratic voters, concentrated in New York City and some of its suburbs, including Westchester County, Rockland County and Long Island's Nassau county, and in the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and Ithaca.
New York is near unique among the states in that it allows
In a 2020 study, New York was ranked as the 17th easiest state for citizens to vote in.[2]
Electoral system
Electoral procedure
Primary elections are elections at which enrolled members of a party nominate party candidates for the general election and elect party officers.[3][4] New York uses closed primaries and only an enrolled member of a party can vote in its primaries.[4] The election district is the basic electoral administrative division, containing a maximum of 950 registered voters (although it may be as large as 1150 registered voters between redistricting) with boundaries determined by the local board of elections.[5][6]
The person for party nomination for public office who receives a plurality of the vote is nominated as the party candidate. [4] The state central committee of a political party designates people for statewide public offices in the primary election by majority vote, but people who receive at least 25% of the committee votes may contest the primary, and people who receive less than 25% of the committee votes may contest the primary by collecting 25000 petition signatures with at least 100 signatories from each congressional district.[7]
The political party county executive committees in cities and towns and the party caucus in villages typically select candidates for local offices, with the local committees ratifying the selections.[6] In New York City, candidates for the citywide offices are designated jointly by the five county executive committees of each party, and a local political club (which is not an official party organization) may also play a major role in nomination and selection.[8][6] Judicial nominating conventions, composed of judicial delegates elected from assembly districts within the judicial district, nominate New York Supreme Court justices.[9] The designation of a person to contest a party nomination for public office, and the nomination of a person for a party office, at a primary election is by designating petition.[10]
General elections are held in November in even-numbered years for state offices, in November in odd-numbered years for city and town offices, and in March or June in odd-numbered years for villages offices (unless the village board selects a different date).[11]
New York is near unique among the states in that it allows
Party system
Parties that received at least 130,000 votes or 2% of the vote in the previous gubernatorial election or presidential election qualify for "official" status and automatic statewide ballot access.[14] This also determines the order on the ballot. There are a number of minor parties in New York State which do not qualify for ballot status.
The Election Law defines the structure of political parties and requires each party to have county committees and a state committee.[15][6] The county committees are composed of at least two members elected from each election district, as well as two members elected from each assembly district within the county (district leaders).[16][6] In the five counties of New York City, the executive committees of the county committees are composed of the district leaders and other officers; outside New York City, the executive committees are composed of the chairmen of the local political committees (of each city, town, and village within the county, composed of county committee members from those localities) and other officers.[17] In principle, county committee members select the county committee chair, but in New York City the practice is that the district leaders control the choice.[18] Judicial nominating conventions, which nominate New York Supreme Court justices, are composed of judicial delegates elected from assembly districts within the judicial district.[9]
The state committees are in practice composed of members determined by county committee chairmen augmented by representatives of other constituency groups according to party bylaws.[19][18][20] In principle, a chairperson and executive committee are chosen by the state committee, although in practice a sitting governor of the party will effectively name the chairperson.[18][20] The state committee chairperson and executive committee select one man and one woman for the national committee, select at-large delegates and chairpersons for the national convention, select candidates for statewide offices, and conduct party activities.[20]
Reform
A 2005 study by the Grassroots Initiative found that in New York City more than 50% of committee membership was vacant and that 98% of committee member elections were uncontested.[18] In suburban and rural areas, informed observers estimate that at least one-third of committee membership is vacant.[18] New York's judicial conventions have also been criticized as opaque, brief, and dominated by county party leaders.[21]
State electoral history
Elected offices
Year | Democratic
|
Republican
|
---|---|---|
1950
|
42.3% 2,246,855 | 53.1% 2,819,523 |
1954
|
49.6% 2,560,738 | 49.4% 2,549,613 |
1958
|
44.7% 2,553,895 | 54.7% 3,126,929 |
1962
|
44.0% 2,552,418 | 53.1% 3,081,587 |
1966
|
38.1% 2,298,363 | 44.6% 2,690,626 |
1970
|
40.3% 2,421,426 | 52.4% 3,151,432 |
1974
|
57.2% 3,028,503 | 41.9% 2,219,667 |
1978
|
51.0% 2,429,272 | 45.2% 2,156,404 |
1982
|
50.9% 2,675,213 | 47.5% 2,494,827 |
1986
|
64.6% 2,775,045 | 31.8% 1,363,968 |
1990
|
53.2% 2,157,087 | 21.4% 865,948 |
1994
|
45.5% 2,364,906 | 48.8% 2,538,702 |
1998
|
33.2% 1,570,317 | 54.3% 2,571,991 |
2002
|
33.5% 1,534,064 | 49.4% 2,262,255 |
2006
|
69.6% 3,086,709 | 28.7% 1,274,335 |
2010
|
62.5% 2,910,876 | 33.2% 1,547,857 |
2014
|
54.2% 2,069,480 | 40.2% 1,537,077 |
2018
|
59.6% 3,635,340 | 36.2% 2,207,602 |
2022 | 52.4% 3,031,801 | 46.7% 2,705,908 |
The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Comptroller and the two U.S. senators are now the only statewide elected officials. The first state election was held in June 1777, and the
Until 1821 a state election was held annually, lasting three days, beginning on the last Monday in April. The Assembly was completely and the Senate partly renewed. Every three years, a Governor and a Lieutenant Governor were elected, all other state officials were appointed by the
The
From 1870 on, a
Party trends and geography
The balance of the parties was formerly less decided, with a large Democratic majority in populous New York City, Rochester and Buffalo, but Republican dominance in the upstate and the eastern part of
Unlike most states, New York electoral law permits
Some are permanent minor parties that seek to influence the major parties, while others are ephemeral parties formed to give major-party candidates an additional line on the ballot.The total (active plus inactive) enrolment of the various parties in New York State is as follows, according to the New York State Board of Elections report of Enrolment by County dated 1 November 2020.[25] Percentages are of the total with a declared affiliation. Each party will also have the equivalent increase or decrease to the results of 1 November 2016.[26]
Party enrollment | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party information | Registered | |||||
Party icon | Party name | National affiliation | Party position(s) | 2016 results | 2020 results | Change |
New York State Democratic Committee | Democratic Party | Center-left to left wing | 6,179,734 | 6,811,659 | Increase: 631,925 | |
New York Republican State Committee | Republican Party (GOP) | Center-right to right wing
|
2,839,704 | 2,965,451 | Increase: 125,747 | |
Conservative Party of New York | Republican Party (GOP) – unofficially | Right wing | 162,682 | 162,097 | Decrease: 585 | |
Left wing | 50,039 | 45,610 | Decrease: 4,429 | |||
Independence Party of New York | Alliance Party | Center | 501,738 | 481,530 | Decrease: 20,208 | |
Green Party of New York | Green Party of the United States | Left wing | 28,913 | 28,501 | Decrease: 412 | |
Libertarian Party of New York | Libertarian Party | Catch-all / big tent (center-left to right wing)
|
9,757 | 21,551 | Increase: 11,794 |
Party balance in state legislatures
Democrats hold a 54-seat supermajority in the Assembly, whose current speaker is Carl Heastie. They have been in the majority since 1975 and for all but five years since 1959.
The Assembly has long been controlled by the Democrats, the Senate by the Republicans, and there was little change in membership in elections until
The Republicans controlled the
While the Assembly's apportionment strongly favors New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, and the Capital District, the Senate's apportionment typically favored the more conservative Upstate. However, the Republicans have lost many Senate seats in recent years because of the aforementioned political realignments of the New York City suburbs, Long Island and Syracuse. This enabled Democrats to reclaim the chamber in 2019 and obtain a 2/3rds supermajority since 2021.
Referendums
Every 20 years, the Constitution of the State of New York requires that a statewide referendum be held on whether to convene a
A positive vote in a referendum is also required for any amendment to the state constitution, whether passed by the regular legislature or by a constitutional convention.
Federal electoral history
New York State has voted Democratic in national elections since 1988. However, New York City has been the most important source of political fund-raising in the United States for both major parties. Four of the top five zip codes in the nation for political contributions are in Manhattan. The top zip code, 10021 on the Upper East Side, generated the most money for the 2000 presidential campaigns of both George Bush and Al Gore. Republican presidential candidates have often skipped campaigning in the state, taking it as a loss and focusing on vital swing states.
Many of the state's other urban areas, including
Democrats
Congressional delegation
New York's delegation to the US House of Representatives is composed mostly of Democrats. Republicans have not held a majority of New York US House seats since 1965. This is due almost entirely to the Democrats' near-total domination of local elections in New York City, which contains 14 of the state's 26 districts. Historically, Republicans had a chance to win three City districts, however, Staten Island, is currently the only part of the City that regularly elects Republicans.
With the defeats of Republican incumbents
New York lost two congressional districts as a result of the 2010 census, and the 2012 elections resulted in the balance of the delegation being 21 Democrats and 6 Republicans; Democrats
This recent Democratic dominance may be explained by the exodus of non-Hispanic white voters to other parts of the country, in addition to the large influx of predominately Hispanic minorities to the state.
U.S. senators
Currently, New York is represented in the U.S. Senate by Chuck Schumer of Brooklyn and Kirsten Gillibrand of Columbia County, both Democrats.
Over the last five decades, New York has elected Democratic Senators
Schumer's victory over Republican
Many New York Republicans were irked again in 2006 when a similar situation unfolded as the state party decided to nominate
New York's Democratic tilt also continued into 2010, even when Democrats were suffering heavy losses all around the country. Chuck Schumer easily defeated Jay Townsend to win a third term in the U.S. Senate with 66 percent of the vote. With both Senate seats up in New York, the media was more focused on the Class I seat because when Kirsten Gillibrand was first appointed in 2009, she initially looked very vulnerable due of her A+ rating from the NRA from when she was representing a rural upstate district. That rating was not well received by downstate residents when she was first appointed to the Senate.[34] Then Gillibrand immediately changed her position on the issue of gun control after she was appointed to satisfy the concerns from downstate residents. She then went on to win the special election easily with 62 percent of the vote in 2010. In 2012, Gillibrand was re-elected in a landslide with more than 72% of the vote, the highest statewide vote share ever received by a senatorial candidate in New York State.[35]
Presidential elections
Year | Republican / Whig | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 3,251,997 | 37.67% | 5,244,886 | 60.76% | 135,372 | 1.57% |
2016 | 2,819,557 | 36.51% | 4,556,142 | 59.00% | 346,096 | 4.48% |
2012 | 2,490,496 | 35.17% | 4,485,877 | 63.35% | 105,163 | 1.49% |
2008 | 2,752,771 | 36.03% | 4,804,945 | 62.88% | 83,232 | 1.09% |
2004 | 2,962,567 | 40.08% | 4,314,280 | 58.36% | 115,107 | 1.56% |
2000 | 2,405,676 | 35.22% | 4,113,791 | 60.22% | 311,711 | 4.56% |
1996 | 1,933,492 | 30.61% | 3,756,177 | 59.47% | 626,460 | 9.92% |
1992 | 2,346,649 | 33.88% | 3,444,450 | 49.73% | 1,135,826 | 16.40% |
1988 | 3,081,871 | 47.52% | 3,347,882 | 51.62% | 55,930 | 0.86% |
1984 | 3,664,763 | 53.84% | 3,119,609 | 45.83% | 22,438 | 0.33% |
1980 | 2,893,831 | 46.66% | 2,728,372 | 43.99% | 579,756 | 9.35% |
1976 | 3,100,791 | 47.45% | 3,389,558 | 51.87% | 44,071 | 0.67% |
1972 | 4,192,778 | 58.54% | 2,951,084 | 41.21% | 17,968 | 0.25% |
1968 | 3,007,932 | 44.30% | 3,378,470 | 49.76% | 403,664 | 5.94% |
1964 | 2,243,559 | 31.31% | 4,913,156 | 68.56% | 9,300 | 0.13% |
1960 | 3,446,419 | 47.27% | 3,830,085 | 52.53% | 14,575 | 0.20% |
1956 | 4,340,340 | 61.19% | 2,750,769 | 38.78% | 2,227 | 0.03% |
1952 | 3,952,815 | 55.45% | 3,104,601 | 43.55% | 70,825 | 0.99% |
1948 | 2,841,163 | 45.98% | 2,780,204 | 45.00% | 557,135 | 9.02% |
1944 | 2,987,647 | 47.30% | 3,304,238 | 52.31% | 24,932 | 0.39% |
1940 | 3,027,478 | 47.95% | 3,251,918 | 51.50% | 34,501 | 0.55% |
1936 | 2,180,670 | 38.97% | 3,293,222 | 58.85% | 122,506 | 2.19% |
1932 | 1,937,963 | 41.33% | 2,534,959 | 54.07% | 215,692 | 4.60% |
1928 | 2,193,344 | 49.79% | 2,089,863 | 47.44% | 122,419 | 2.78% |
1924 | 1,820,058 | 55.76% | 950,796 | 29.13% | 493,085 | 15.11% |
1920 | 1,871,167 | 64.56% | 781,238 | 26.95% | 246,108 | 8.49% |
1916 | 879,238 | 51.53% | 759,426 | 44.51% | 67,641 | 3.96% |
1912 | 455,487 | 28.68% | 655,573 | 41.27% | 477,255 | 30.05% |
1908 | 870,070 | 53.11% | 667,468 | 40.74% | 100,812 | 6.15% |
1904 | 859,533 | 53.13% | 683,981 | 42.28% | 74,256 | 4.59% |
1900 | 822,013 | 53.10% | 678,462 | 43.83% | 47,567 | 3.07% |
1896 | 819,838 | 57.58% | 551,369 | 38.72% | 52,669 | 3.70% |
1892 | 609,350 | 45.58% | 654,868 | 48.99% | 72,575 | 5.43% |
1888 | 650,338 | 49.28% | 635,965 | 48.19% | 33,445 | 2.53% |
1884 | 562,005 | 48.15% | 563,154 | 48.25% | 42,010 | 3.60% |
1880 | 555,544 | 50.32% | 534,511 | 48.42% | 13,890 | 1.26% |
1876 | 489,207 | 48.17% | 521,949 | 51.40% | 4,347 | 0.43% |
1872 | 440,738 | 53.23% | 387,282 | 46.77% | 0 | 0.00% |
1868 | 419,888 | 49.41% | 429,883 | 50.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
1864 | 368,735 | 50.46% | 361,986 | 49.54% | 0 | 0.00% |
1860 | 362,646 | 53.71% | 312,510 | 46.29% | 0 | 0.00% |
1856 | 276,004 | 46.27% | 195,878 | 32.84% | 124,604 | 20.89% |
1852 | 234,882 | 44.97% | 262,083 | 50.18% | 25,329 | 4.85% |
1848 | 218,583 | 47.94% | 114,319 | 25.07% | 123,042 | 26.99% |
1844 | 232,482 | 47.85% | 237,588 | 48.90% | 15,812 | 3.25% |
1840 | 226,001 | 51.18% | 212,733 | 48.18% | 2,809 | 0.64% |
1836 | 138,548 | 45.37% | 166,795 | 54.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
Throughout most of the 20th century, New York was a powerful
Today, although New York is still the fourth largest prize in the Electoral College with 28 votes, it is usually considered an uncontested "
Even in the days when New York was considered a swing state, it had a slight Democratic lean. It has only supported a Republican for president six times since the
See also
Statewide elections
- New York gubernatorial elections
- New York Attorney General elections
- New York Comptroller elections
- United States senators from New York
Local elections
Topics
- Political party strength in New York
- Politics of New York
- Electoral reform in New York
- Voting technology in New York State
Notes
- ^ a b Benjamin 2012, p. 52.
- S2CID 225139517.
- ^ Election Law § 1-104
- ^ a b c Zimmerman 2008, p. 66.
- ^ Election Law § 4-100
- ^ a b c d e Zimmerman 2008, p. 55.
- ^ Zimmerman 2008, p. 67.
- LCCN 60008408.
- ^ a b New York City Bar Association Council on Judicial Administration (March 2014). Judicial Selection Methods in the State of New York: A Guide to Understanding and Getting Involved in the Selection Process (PDF). New York City Bar Association. pp. 23–27.
- ^ Election Law § 6-118
- ^ a b c d Zimmerman 2008, p. 70.
- ^ a b c Zimmerman 2008, p. 69.
- ^ Felony Disfranchisement (PDF), New York Civil Liberties Union
- ^ Only two minor parties in New York will keep their ballot access.
- ^ Election Law article 2
- ^ Election Law § 2-104
- ^ Zimmerman 2008, pp. 55–56.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-538723-0.
- ^ Election Law § 2-102
- ^ a b c Zimmerman 2008, p. 56.
- ^ Williams, Milton L. (19 September 2012). "A better way to pick New York judges". New York Daily News.
- ^ Leip, David. "General Election Results – New York". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ The New York State Register (1843; pg. 106; quoting from a "Law respecting Elections", passed April 5, 1842)
- ^ DiFilippo (2022-08-01). "What is fusion voting and why do some want to revive it in New Jersey?". New Jersey Monitor. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
- ^ New York State Board of Elections (1 November 2021). NYSVoter Enrollment by County, Party Affiliation and Status.
- ^ New York State Board of Elections (April 1, 2016). NYSVoter Enrollment by County, Party Affiliation and Status (PDF). p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 30, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ^ Three men in a room
- ^ "2022 Election Results | New York State Board of Elections".
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ^ a b Remember Senate 2004, November 20, 2005.
- ^ Senate hopeful claims GOP bosses snubbed him. Albany Times-Union, February 25, 2004.
- ^ Petition to Open the NY Republican Primary for Senator, retrieved on July 19, 2007.
- ^ He's Spoiling for a Chance to Take On Schumer. Hernandez, Raymond. New York Times, November 10, 2003.
- ^ Berman, John (2011-01-23). "Paterson Taps Gillibrand for Clinton's Senate Seat". Retrieved 2011-05-25.
- ^ "2012 Senatorial Election Results - New York". Dave Leip's Election Atlas. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections - Presidential General Election Results Comparison - New York". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ "NYS Board of Elections President and Vice-President Election Returns Nov. 6, 2012" (PDF). Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- Zimmerman, Joseph F. (2008). The Government and Politics of New York State (2nd ed.). ISBN 978-0-7914-7435-8.
Further reading
- Black, Blind, & In Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity." Skyhorse Publishing. New York, New York, 2020
External links
- New York State Board of Elections
- New York at Ballotpedia
- Election statistics from the Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives
- "State Elections Legislation Database", Ncsl.org, Washington, D.C.: National Conference of State Legislatures,
State legislation related to the administration of elections introduced in 2011 through this year, 2020