On November 7, 2017, New York voters will decide whether to call a state constitutional convention to consider ideas for revising the New York Constitution, which has been in effect since 1894. Every twenty years the voters of New York are given this opportunity.

Some scholars have put together a list of ideas that might be considered for a new Constitution. The publication is issued by the Rockefeller Institute of Government and Albany Law School.

Many powerful groups have passed resolutions saying the New York State Constitution is good enough now and that voters should vote “no”. They include the Association of State Court Judges, many labor unions, and the ACLU. Thanks to Thomas Jones for the link. Note especially the ideas for altering election law, which start on page seven.

On October 22, the California Republican Party state convention voted to set up a procedure for the state party to endorse candidates in statewide primary elections, starting in 2018. See this story.

Many of the supporters of a top-two system hold themselves as being opposed to “party bosses” and “party control of elections.” The irony is that the top-two system in California has now caused both major parties to endorse candidates before the primary. At one time in California it was illegal for political parties to endorse candidates in their own primaries, although that law was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1989 in Eu v San Francisco County Democratic Central Committee. Still, even after parties gained the free speech right to endorse candidates in their own primaries, they did not begin to do so until the top-two system came into existence.

On October 23, the Maine legislature came into session. Although ranked choice voting is on the agenda, that is far from the only issue in the special session. See this story.