Voters will be asked to decide on three statewide ballot proposals this Election Day, Tuesday, November 4.
Proposal One – Revising State’s Redistricting Procedure
This proposed amendment would reform the process of establishing new state legislative and Congressional district lines that the Constitution requires every ten years, beginning in 2020.
According to the NY State Board of Elections, if the proposal is approved, a redistricting commission will be established to determine lines for legislative and Congressional districts, subject to adoption of the commission’s plan by the Legislature and approval by the Governor.
Currently, the Legislature is the entity responsible for establishing these lines.
Included in the proposed amendment are qualifications for the members of the commission – eight of whom would be appointed by the four state legislative leaders and two of whom would be appointed by the first eight members of the commission.
The proposed amendment would also establish principles to be applied in creating districts and prohibits legislators and other elected officials from serving as commissioners.
The proposal also requires the commission to hold public hearings on proposed redistricting plans and provides for funding and bi-partisan staff to work for the commission.
Proposal Two – Permitting Electronic Distribution of State Legislative Bills
This proposed amendment would allow electronic distribution of a state legislative bill to satisfy the Constitutional requirement that a bill be printed and on the desks of state legislators at least three days before it is voted on by the Legislature.
Currently, this requirement can only be satisfied by the distribution of a printed copy of the bill.
The proposal establishes requirements for electronic distribution including legislators must be able to review the electronically-sent bill at their desks, that they must be able to print the bill if they choose, and that the bill cannot be changed electronically without leaving a record of the changes.
Proposal Three – Smart Schools Bond Act of 2014
According to the NY State Board of Elections, this proposal authorizes the creation of state debt and the sale of state bonds up to the amount of $2 Billion ($2,000,000,000) to provide money for capital projects that would provide access to classroom technology and high speed internet connectivity to equalize opportunities for children to learn.
The types of projects covered by the proposal include: acquisition of interactive white boards, computer servers, and desktop, laptop and tablet computers; installation of high-speed broadband or wireless internet connectivity for schools and communities; construction, enhancement and modernization of educational facilities to accommodate pre-kindergarten programs and provide instructional space to replace transportable classroom units; and installation of high-tech security features in school buildings and on school campuses.
