NY Turns Down Voting Reform, Approves NYC Civil Court Expansion

NEW YORK CITY — When New Yorkers statewide took to the polls on Tuesday, they turned down the possibility of same-day voter registration and no-excuse absentee voting in their state.

Two proposals that would have expanded the state's voting laws were among five constitutional amendments on New York State ballots this year, though neither of them will take effect after New Yorkers voted against them.

Ballot Proposal 3 would have removed the state's requirement that citizens register to vote at least 10 days before an election, paving the way for state lawmakers to pass same-day voter registration laws.

But it failed on Tuesday, along with Ballot Proposal 4, which would have allowed for no-excuse absentee voting — currently, individuals can only vote absentee if they will be away from the city on election day or if they have a physical disability that prevents them from going to the polls.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting as of 2:15 a.m. Wednesday, Proposal 3 failed 58-42 percent, according to political website Ballotpedia. Over 1.6 million people voted against it, while only 1.178 million were in favor.

Proposal 4 failed by a very similar margin, 56-44 percent. Only 1.2 million people voted to approve it, while around 1.567 people voted it down, Ballotpedia reported.

Voters statewide also turned down Ballot Proposal 1, which would have made several changes to the state's redistricting process, according to Ballotpedia's numbers.

It would have capped the number of state senators at 63, tossed requirements that both political parties support newly-drawn redistricting maps and required that incarcerated people be counted at the place of their last residence for redistricting, among other changes.

The proposal failed 56-44 percent, Ballotpedia said.

However, two proposed amendments were approved on Tuesday — one expanding the New York City Civil Court's jurisdiction, and the other establishing individuals' right to "clean water, clean air, and a healthful environment."

When the proposals take effect on Jan. 1, the NYC Civil Court can hear and decide lawsuits involving claims of up to $50,000, rather than the current limit of $25,000.

Though results of the amendment votes are unofficial until they're certified, it's unlikely they will change given that 99 percent of precincts' votes have been counted.