Politics of New York (state)
New York's legislature constitutional set up is similar to other states in the country. It is a bicameral legislature composed of a Senate house and an Assembly. The Assembly Speaker of the House, Hon. Carl E. Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins along with the Governor (Kathy Hochul) are responsible for negotiating what becomes law in New York State with the help of each leaders colleagues (assemblymembers, senators, committees).[1]
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Politics of New York have evolved over time. The Democratic Party dominates politics in the state, with the Democrats representing a plurality of voters in New York State, constituting over twice as many registered voters as any other political party affiliation or lack thereof.[2] As of April 2022, Democrats control all levels of state and assembly, holding most state-level elected offices.
Current issues
For a long time, same-sex marriages were not allowed in New York, but those marriages from other jurisdictions were recognized. In May 2008, Governor David Paterson issued an affirmation that the state would recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. In December 2009, the senate declined to pass a same-sex marriage bill, though polling earlier that year had indicated that a majority of New Yorkers supported same-sex marriages.[3][4] Since 2004, the public pension systems of both the state and New York City allocate benefits in recognition of same-sex marriages performed outside New York. Former Governor Eliot Spitzer stated he would introduce legislation to legalize same-sex marriage. On April 27, 2007 then-Governor Spitzer unveiled such a bill. Same-sex marriage was legalized in June 2011.[5]
From 1984 through 2004, no budget was passed on time. The state has a strong imbalance of payments with the federal government. New York State receives 82 cents in services for every $1 it sends to Washington in taxes. The state ranks near the bottom, in 42nd place, in federal spending per tax dollar. For decades, it has been the established practice for the state to pass legislation for some meritorious project, but then mandate county and municipal government to actually pay for it. New York State has its counties pay a higher percentage of welfare costs than any other state, and New York State is the only state which requires counties to pay a portion of Medicaid.
| Year | Democratic | Republican | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | 43.6% | 3,104,601 | 55.5% | 3,952,815 |
| 1956 | 38.8% | 2,750,769 | 61.2% | 4,340,340 |
| 1960 | 52.5% | 3,830,085 | 47.3% | 3,446,419 |
| 1964 | 68.6% | 4,913,156 | 31.3% | 2,243,559 |
| 1968 | 49.8% | 3,378,470 | 44.3% | 3,007,932 |
| 1972 | 41.2% | 2,951,084 | 58.5% | 4,192,778 |
| 1976 | 51.9% | 3,389,558 | 47.5% | 3,100,791 |
| 1980 | 44.0% | 2,728,372 | 46.7% | 2,893,831 |
| 1984 | 45.8% | 3,119,609 | 53.8% | 3,664,763 |
| 1988 | 51.6% | 3,347,882 | 47.5% | 3,081,871 |
| 1992 | 49.7% | 3,444,450 | 33.9% | 2,346,649 |
| 1996 | 59.5% | 3,756,177 | 30.6% | 1,933,492 |
| 2000 | 60.2% | 4,113,791 | 35.2% | 2,405,676 |
| 2004 | 58.4% | 4,314,280 | 40.1% | 2,962,567 |
| 2008 | 62.9% | 4,804,945 | 36.0% | 2,752,771 |
| 2012 | 63.4% | 4,485,877 | 35.2% | 2,490,496 |
| 2016 | 59.0% | 4,556,142 | 36.5% | 2,819,557 |
| 2020 | 60.8% | 5,244,006 | 37.7% | 3,250,230 |
Voter registration
| Voter registration as of February 21, 2022[6] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | % | Total voters | Total | ||
| Active | Inactive | ||||
| Democratic | 49.85 | 5,929,375 | 542,721 | 6,472,096 | |
| Republican | 21.94 | 2,645,799 | 203,095 | 2,848,894 | |
| Conservative[lower-alpha 1] | 1.26 | 152,669 | 10,319 | 162,988 | |
| Working Families[lower-alpha 2] | 0.38 | 45,093 | 4,160 | 49,253 | |
| Minor parties | 3.58 | 419,193 | 45,495 | 464,688 | |
| Unaffiliated | 22.99 | 2,713,757 | 271,143 | 2,984,900 | |
| Total | 100% | 11,905,886 | 1,076,933 | 12,982,819 | |
See also
References
- Creelan, Jeremy (February 18, 2019). "The New York State Legislative Process: An Evaluation and Blueprint for Reform" (PDF). Brenan For Justice at NYU School of Law.
- NYSVoter Enrollment by County, Party Affiliation and Status Archived July 30, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Accessed April 30, 2016.
- Bases, Daniel (June 23, 2009). "New Yorkers supportive of gay marriage: poll". Reuters.
- "Archived copy". www.quinnipiac.edu. Archived from the original on 30 June 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - Wiessner, Dan (June 25, 2011). "New York governor signs law approving gay marriage". Reuters.
- "Enrollment by County | New York State Board of Elections". Elections.ny.gov. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
Notes
- The Conservative party usually gives out nominations in support of a Republican Party Primary candidate of their choice
- The Working Families party usually gives out nominations in support of a Democratic party Primary candidate of their choice
Further reading
- Feldman, Daniel L.; Benjamin, Gerald (2010). Tales from the Sausage Factory: Making Laws in New York State. SUNY Press. ISBN 978-1-4384-3401-8.
- Pecorella, Robert F.; Stonecash, Jeffrey M. (2012). Governing New York State (6th ed.). SUNY Press. ISBN 978-1-4384-4473-4.
- Zimmerman, Joseph F. (2008). The Government and Politics of New York State (2nd ed.). SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-7435-8.
- Paterson, David "Black, Blind, & In Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity." Skyhorse Publishing. New York, New York, 2020.
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