In early 19th-century New York general elections were conducted over
successive days, and votes were cast by paper ballot. Town elections
were conducted on one or two successive days, at local option, and votes
were cast by ballot for the principal town officers (supervisor, town
clerk, assessor, etc.). Minor town officers (such as overseers of
highways) were chosen by ballot, or by ayes and nays, or by the "rising,
or the dividing of the electors" (the latter meant that the voters for
and against a candidate physically congregated on either side of the
room). Town officers made their oath (or affirmation) before a justice
of the peace or a commissioner of deeds. The town clerk filed the
certificate that the oath had been taken.

These details are taken from the Revised Statutes of 1829. The 1901
index to the session laws has literally hundreds of entries on
elections, and I was not able to locate in that index the law that
changed the three-day general election to one day.

I know of no history of the New York election law and election
procedures. The Encyclopedia of New York State (Syracuse: 2005) has an
entry on "election law" which contains some historical background.

Jim Folts
New York State Archives





>>> [log in to unmask] 12/30/05 11:12 AM >>>
I am a Town Historian in Carmel, New York (Putnam County).
In researching our old Town Minutes, I have come across a 
curiosity involving the electoral process in  the years 1795-1839,
and possibly beyond, though I have not read that far yet.

Whereas our Town elections occurred at an annual town meeting,
held on one day early in April,  the voting for NY State officials
occurred over a three-day period.  This was also in April. At first
I thought it was to get enough "turnout" in what were doubtless
muddy road conditions, planting season, for the convenience
of our largely agricultural residents. 
But then, why were the town officers able to be elected on one day?  
To keep it within the "clique" who had control (as my husband jokingly
suggests)?  

Presumably the townsfolk would have the same difficulty
getting to one sort of election as another, in the same place and
month.

I don't know exactly when this 3-day voting period was shortened
down to the present single voting day we have now. I am looking for
that
fact as well, and may have to dig through 30 or 40 more archived
minutes
books in an exhaustive manual search, to catch the year things changed.


I'm also intrigued by the lack of a tally on our early voting, and I
have 
to assume it was a voice vote in the earliest days (1795-1830 or so). 
At some time, paper was used, but they don't record when that started.

When officers were "sworn in", I wonder who did it?  A judge? I only
see
justices of the peace ... a pastor... the Clerk?  All I can see is
"sworn"   occasionally written next to a name. 

I often find that a cross-comparison between various 
locales sheds a lot of light.  These old minutes can be very
"dry" on the questions we have today, but they can go on and on about a

description of a sheep found in somebody else's enclosure, etc.  Of
course
that was a big deal, then;  the way to hold an election was probably 
an accepted custom not worth noting.

I am trying to find an online way to see the old NY State laws but so
far,
haven't found one. To avoid travel and expenses to physically dig
through the
dusty archives, I thought of trying to ask other historians for some
clues.