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.