New York State Joint Legislative Committee on Regulating Elections Certificates of Election

Chronological.

The Joint Legislative Committee for Regulating Elections was authorized by the Laws of 1787, Ch. 15 ("An act for regulating elections"). The Committee, appointed yearly and consisting of six senators and six assemblymen elected by their respective bodies, was responsible for canvassing and estimating the votes for governor, lieutenant governor, and senators. The poll clerks of each town brought ballots to the county sheriff who in turn brought them to the secretary of state who presented them to the Committee. The Committee destroyed the ballots when counting was completed. Members were required to swear to an oath prescribed by law.

This series consists of three certificates of election for the years 1790, 1796, and 1798. The election statute of 1787 (Laws of the State of New York, 10th sess. Ch. 15) required the Joint Legislative Committee for Regulating Elections to produce a signed certificate authenticating committee canvassing and estimating of ballots. Copies were filed with the Secretary of State, the elected candidates, and the senate. The certificates in this series were the copies filed with the senate. The 1790 certificate declares David Gelston, Peter Lefferte, Samuel Jones, David Eye, Thomas Gillotson, Anthony Hoffman, Stephen Van Rensselaer, Peter Schuyler, Leonard Gansevoort, and John Williams as elected senators.

The 1796 certificate declares Samuel Haight, Andrew Onderdonck, Selah Strong, James Watson, Robert Sands, William Thompson, Christopher Tappen, Peter Sylvester, James Savage, Ebenezer Clarke, Moses Vail, Anthony Ten Eyck, Jebediah Sanger, James Gordon, Leonard Gansevoort, Thomas Morris, Thomas R. Gold, John Richardson, Johannes Dietz, Vincent Mathews, Jacob Morris, Leonard Bronck, Francis Nicole, Joseph White, and Abraham Ardnt as senators. The 1798 certificate declares John Jay as Governor, Stephen Van Rensselaer as Lieutenant Governor, John Schenk, David Gelston, Dewitt Clinton, William Denning, Richard Hatfield, Ambrose Spencer, Ebenezer Foote, Leonard Gansevoort, John Sanders, Thomas R. Gold, John Fry, Fredrerick Getman, William Beckman, and Jacob Morris as senators.

This series was transferred from the State Library in November 2000 and accessioned during April 2001.

Restricted: Material is fragile;Use under supervision of an archivist.