Senate Bill S6882

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S6882

 TITLE OF BILL :

An act to amend the election law, in relation to prohibiting certain
elected officials from serving as delegates to the constitutional
convention

 PURPOSE OF BILL :

The purpose of this legislation is to prohibit certain elected
officials from serving as delegates to the constitutional convention.

 SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS :

Section 1. The Election Law is amended by adding a new section 6-170
to read as follows: Constitutional delegates. The governor, lieutenant
governor, attorney general, comptroller, any state legislator, any
elected county, city, town, or village official or any person who
currently holds elective office shall not be eligible to qualify as a
candidate for delegate for a constitutional convention.

Section 2. Establishes the effective date.

 JUSTIFICATION :

              

The New York State Constitution states that every 20 years there will
be a question of whether a constitutional convention should be held on
the election ballot. If the voters vote in favor, and a constitutional
convention should be held, there shall be a convention delegate
election on the ballot the following year.

Elected officials have different motives than the general public. They
are influenced by partisan politics, incumbency, and vested interested
in protecting the status quo while New York State residents are not.
It is also an opportunity for the general public to participate more
fully in political life, increasing democracy.  For these reasons, the
state residents are ideally equipped to serve as delegates to a
constitutional convention. This legislation would reform the current
process so only non-elected officials can elected as delegates to a
constitutional convention.

Elected officials also enjoy an advantage by virtue of having run for
office and won, thereby securing name recognition by the voters that a
regular citizen does not have. By prohibiting elected officials, the
playing field will be fairer and more equitable for those citizens who
do not have the same public recognition.

 PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

A. 921 of 2013/2014
A. 196 of 2011/2012

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

This legislation has no fiscal implications.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have
become law.