An unsuccessful attempt was made to pass an amendment to the Constitution of New Jersey in 1926 and 1927. The intent of the amendment was to have members of the New Jersey General Assembly serve two-year terms instead of one and also lengthen the terms of state senators and the governor from three years to four. The proposed amendment was passed twice by the legislature, and the text was approved by the attorney general. Before the proposal could be put before the voters for final approval, it was noticed that although the legislature had intended that Assembly members be elected biennially (once in two years), the proposed amendment provided that they were to be chosen "biannually", meaning they were to be elected twice a year. After this discovery, the legislature passed a resolution defining "biannually" to mean "biennially", and proceeded with the referendum. On September 20, 1927, the people of New Jersey voted down the proposal, and Assembly members were elected annually until New Jersey instituted a new constitution in 1947. New Jersey was governed at the time under a

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

adopted in 1844, and votes to amend it were allowed only once in five years. Among the amendments proposed initially by the 1926 legislature, and passed again in 1927, was one known as the "term extender", which would lengthen the terms of legislators and the governor. It would also require the gubernatorial election to be in the same year as the presidential election. New Jersey, despite being strongly Republican, had elected several Democratic governors recently, and Democrats believed such a change would give the Republicans an advantage. However, the Republican majority in the legislature meant Democrats could not block passage there. The original version, passed by the Assembly in 1926, did not mention "biannually", but the version passed by the Senate and then accepted by the Assembly did use the word. After the revised proposed amendment passed the 1927 legislature, a vote was set for September 27, 1927. When Jewish organizations protested that September 27 was

Rosh Hashanah Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...

that year, Governor

A. Harry Moore Arthur Harry Moore (July 3, 1877 – November 18, 1952) was an American Democratic politician and attorney who was the 39th governor of New Jersey, serving three nonconsecutive three-year terms between 1926 and 1941. As of , Moore remains t ...

convened the legislature into special session to set a new date. A Democratic clerk then pointed out the meaning of biannually, and others of that party urged that the amendment be scuttled. Instead, the Republican majority, relying on authorities who stated that biannually and biennially meant the same thing, chose to pass a resolution stating that the intent was to have elections every other year and set the referendum date for September 20, 1927. There was considerable amusement at the situation, both in New Jersey and nationwide. Frank Hague, the

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.political boss of Hudson County, campaigned against the provision moving the election for governor to the presidential year, alleging it was political manipulation and the mixture of state and federal politics. Republicans stated that having the larger number of voters who cast ballots for president also help choose the governor was a good thing. The Democrats were so against the proposal that they successfully opposed three of the other four amendments that were on the ballot at the same time, lest the term extender amendment pass through confusion. The term extender failed with just over 41 percent in favor, defeated by a huge turnout in Hague's Hudson County bailiwick, which voted overwhelmingly against the proposal, contrasted with light turnout and lukewarm support through the rest of the state.

Background

New Jersey's 1776 constitution was rewritten in 1844. That document, which remained in force until 1947, provided for annual elections for the New Jersey General Assembly, the lower house of the legislature, and for three-year terms for members of the state Senate. The

governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...

was also to serve a three-year term. To amend the constitution, each house of the legislature would have to pass a proposed amendment in successive years, which would put the proposed amendment on the ballot to be approved or rejected by the people. There could be votes on amendments to the constitution only once in five years. Before 1927, the voters of New Jersey had six times been called upon to decide whether to amend the 1844 constitution, most recently in 1915, but they had done so only in 1875 and 1897. In 1915, amendments to guarantee women the vote, permit excess condemnation (the power to acquire by

eminent domain Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...

more land than actually needed for a public purpose) by cities and counties, and remove the prohibition on amending the constitution more often than once in five years had each been voted down by a comfortable margin. An amendment to increase the terms of the legislature and governor had been voted down in 1909. Page
here
/ref> In the first quarter of the 20th century, three governors of New Jersey, including

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

, advocated a constitutional convention to thoroughly revise the state constitution, but legislative commissions that considered the question in the early 1920s did not agree, and the constitution continued in force.

1926 passage

Beginning in February 1926, the legislature's joint Republican conference committee, which steered policy for that majority party in the legislature, began to consider a constitutional amendment to increase the terms of Assembly members to two years, and of senators to four years; the legislature would meet every two years instead of annually. The term of the governor would also be increased to four years, and election to that office scheduled to be at the same time as the election for U.S. president. This was seen as political to benefit the state's Republicans, who generally had greater strength in presidential election years, whereas the Democrats did better in off-year elections. Democrats had won the three most recent gubernatorial elections, with the Republicans last winning in 1916, a presidential election year. No Democratic presidential candidate had won the state with a majority of the vote since

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

in 1892, though Wilson had won the state in his 1912 presidential run with fewer votes than

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

and

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

combined.

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

had won New Jersey by a margin of 378,000 votes in 1924, but the following year, Democrat

had been elected governor by 39,000 votes. The passage by the legislature in March 1926 of a proposed constitutional amendment allowing it to enact laws permitting municipalities to pass

zoning regulations Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

caused Republican leaders to again consider what other amendments should be proposed to the voters. These included the various term-extending provisions. The efforts to pass a zoning amendment followed the New Jersey Supreme Court striking down a zoning ordinance as violative of the right of landowners to use their property. The 1925 legislature had passed amendments concerning zoning, and to have the legislature meet every two years instead of one, but these were not passed again by the 1926 legislature, as was necessary for them to be submitted to the voters. Republicans had, in their 1925 state platform, called for amendments regarding zoning and the extension of the terms of legislators and the governor. Several amendments, sponsored by Assemblyman

Clifford R. Powell Clifford Ross Powell (July 26, 1893March 28, 1973) was an American, who served as the acting governor of New Jersey from January 3, 1935, to January 8, 1935. Biography He was born in Lumberton Township, New Jersey on July 26, 1893. He was educa ...

Burlington County Burlington County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by area in New Jersey. Its county seat is Mount Holly.

, a Republican, were passed by the General Assembly on March 24, 1926. First, the provision for biennial sessions of the legislature passed by a vote of 54–0, and one requiring legislative elections to take place every other year, with the legislature to convene the following January, passed by 44–7. Then, an amendment that required, among other things, "The General Assembly shall be composed of members elected by the legal voters of the counties", passed the Assembly by 43–11. The provisions altering the terms of the senators passed by 44–11, as did the provision extending the governor's term. These amendments were subsequently considered by the Senate as a single package for fear some would pass and some would not, resulting in "a jumble". The term-extending provisions were scheduled in the Senate for the portion of the session intended for bills vetoed by the governor, to begin March 31, 1926. Debate on another proposed constitutional change, to allow amendments to be voted on at a general election rather than at a special election, took place on April 2, but some senators wanted more time to consider the various amendments, and all were postponed until June 22. Distracted by a dispute over who should be the state treasurer, on June 29, the Senate adjourned until July 7, having not acted on the proposed constitutional amendments. Late on the evening of July 19, just prior to adjourning until November, the Senate passed the term-extending provisions. The amendment that passed had been sponsored by Senator Henry A. Williams of

Passaic County Passaic County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the population of Passaic County was enumerated at 524,118, an increase of 22,892 (4.6%) from t ...

and was a substitute for a version prepared by a Senate committee. It provided that "the General Assembly shall be composed of members biannually elected by the legal voters of the counties". The text had been approved by Attorney General of New Jersey Edward L. Katzenbach. The proposal also would allow the Speaker of the Assembly and President of the Senate, acting together, to call a special session of the Legislature, which would allow Republican legislators to bypass a Democratic governor. It passed the Senate by a vote of 16–2. Since the Senate had amended the proposals, they returned to the Assembly, where, also on July 19, the majority leader, Anthony J. Siracusa Jr. (R-

Atlantic County Atlantic County is a county located along the southern coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county had a population of 274,534.

1927 passage

In his annual message on January 11, 1927, Governor Moore stated his support for a constitutional convention to revise New Jersey's governing document. He opposed, though, the lengthening of the gubernatorial term and having the governor elected at the same time as the president, describing the effort to confuse state with national politics as vicious. Senate President Francis B. Davis (R- Gloucester County), in a speech after his election as presiding officer, pledged that the proposed constitutional amendments "must have our best thought and be thoroughly considered before submission to the people". Powell introduced the term-extender amendment in the Assembly on January 24, 1927, and it was reported from committee and given a

second reading A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature. In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming, ...

in the General Assembly in early February. It passed the Assembly on February 7 on a vote of 47–12, along party lines. Morris E. Barison of Hudson County, the minority leader, stated to the Republican majority, "you cannot elect a governor in the off years and so you have adopted this means. But let me say the battle is only beginning. Get ready for a real fight." The amendment was reported from committee in the Senate on February 15, 1927. It passed 13–2 on February 22, with two of the Senate's four Democrats opposing (the other two were absent), On March 25, both houses of the legislature passed legislation to set a special election for September 27, 1927, to consider the proposed constitutional amendments, and this was enacted into law on March 31. There were continued reports of Democratic opposition to the amendment, spearheaded by the powerful Hudson County political boss, Mayor Frank Hague of

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.

Discovery and reaction

On April 5, 1927, it was reported in ''The Morning Call'' of Paterson that Jewish organizations were protesting against the election date, as September 27 was

(the Jewish New Year and one of the

High Holidays The High Holidays also known as the High Holy Days, or Days of Awe in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim ( he, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm''; "Days of Awe") #strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jew ...

) in 1927. This would prevent many Jews from voting. The same day, Governor Moore announced he would meet with legislative leaders and fix a date for a special session of the legislature to change the law setting September 27 as the date the people would vote on the five constitutional amendment proposals. On April 11, Moore called the legislature into special session on April 14, to consider such a change, and to pass on the addition of two judgeships. This was the first time the full legislature had been called into special session since 1915; as in 1927, an extra session was needed to remedy defects in a law setting proposed amendments for a popular vote, and this had happened also in 1897. The legislature was not limited to the subjects mentioned by Moore and could consider in special session any legislation it wanted. When the legislature convened on April 14, bills were introduced to change the date of the election, and to authorize two more judges and make provision for their salaries. As the Republicans maneuvered to secure enough votes on the judicial bills, the legislature was told that biannually meant twice yearly, as opposed to biennially, once in two years, and by providing for biannual elections for the Assembly, it was calling for them to occur twice a year. Former assemblyman Alexander Crawford of Hudson County, Barison's clerk, who was described by ''The Daily Record'' of Long Branch as the "mouthpiece of Mayor Frank Hague", pointed out the issue and stated his belief that the amendment was defective. Page 1
here
/ref> Page
here
/ref> There was speculation that Mayor Hague, through his legal advisors, might be behind the insertion of the word "biannually", but there was no evidence. A six-member committee, with three members from each house, was appointed to find a path forward. A number of newspapers, both within New Jersey and nationwide, commented on the situation. ''The Newark Call'' suggested the best thing to do was for the legislature to take the amendment up again "and drop it in the wastebasket". ''Brooklyn Life and Activities of Long Island Society'' deemed the situation "laughable in the extreme", and ''

The Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History ...

'' deemed what had occurred as good for a laugh. ''

The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, ...

'' commented that New Jersey legislators had gotten into trouble because "they were careless about, or ignorant of, their Latin

derivatives The derivative of a function is the rate of change of the function's output relative to its input value. Derivative may also refer to: In mathematics and economics * Brzozowski derivative in the theory of formal languages * Formal derivative, an ...

". The ''

St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-Dem ...

'' suggested that lawmakers might want to consult the dictionary "biennially, or better still biannually; and they might find it illuminating for them to peruse it bimonthly, or biweekly". The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' similarly suggested, "Evidently, Mr. Webster's illuminating book is not especially popular in New Jersey". Legislators could have repassed the amendment at a special session in 1927, passed it again in 1928, and placed it before the voters later that year, in time to be implemented at the November election. This solution, though, would have left those running in the primary election in June not knowing the length of their terms, and it was discarded. Instead, the legislature relied on two experts: Dr. Frank A. Vizetelly of New Yorkeditor of the ''

Funk & Wagnalls Funk & Wagnalls was an American publisher known for its reference works, including ''A Standard Dictionary of the English Language'' (1st ed. 1893–5), and the ''Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia'' (25 volumes, 1st ed. 1912).Funk & Wagnalls N ...

Standard Dictionary''and Professor Robert K. Root, head of the English department at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, who stated that in its root and structure, "biannually" meant biennially, and, in addition to passing the law changing the election date to September 20, passed a resolution stating that in using the word "biannually", it meant every two years. The resolution stated that in using the word "biannually", the legislature "has used and does use the said word as a synonym for the word 'biennially', meaning every second year". The Democrats, including Minority Leader Alexander Simpson of Hudson County, urged that the amendment be abandoned. Page 1
here
/ref> Republican

Clarence E. Case Clarence Edwards Case (September 24, 1877, Jersey City, New Jersey – September 3, 1961, Somerville, New Jersey) was the acting governor of New Jersey in 1920. Case graduated from Rutgers University in and was awarded a LL.B. degree from New Y ...

of Somerset County, who had served on the six-member committee, stated that Simpson should have pointed out the word "biannually" the previous year. Simpson stated that he was not recorded as voting on the amendment, but "I would be a 99-carat fool to call the attention of the Republican conference to a blunder of this sort". Simpson also pointed out another problem with the amendment, that the existing constitution required county officials to be elected at the same time as the Assembly, but for three- or five-year terms, which would clash with the Assembly only being elected every two years. He deemed the definition resolution an "inglorious attempt to cover up a retreat" and predicted that Hague would cause the public to vote down the term extender by 120,000 votes. Nevertheless, the resolution stating that "biannually" and "biennially" were synonyms passed the Senate on April 21, 15–3, and that body then passed the bill altering the election date, 19–0. Also on April 21, the Assembly passed the bill changing the election date, 42–0, and then passed the resolution regarding the meaning of "biannually", 35–7. Both houses had the statements by Vizetelly and Root printed in their journals.

Campaign

Following the special session, state politicians began to endorse or oppose the proposed amendments. On May 14, 1927, former U.S. senator

Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Joseph Sherman Frelinghuysen Sr. (March 12, 1869 – February 8, 1948) represented New Jersey as a Republican in the United States Senate from 1917 to 1923. Early life and family He was born in Raritan, New Jersey, on March 12, 1869, to Frede ...

, a Republican, endorsed them, saying that the electorate should not base their votes on whether certain politicians supported them or not, but on whether they were good for the state. Republican U.S. Senator

Walter E. Edge Walter Evans Edge (November 20, 1873October 29, 1956) was an American diplomat and Republican politician who served as the 36th governor of New Jersey, from 1917 to 1919 and again from 1944 to 1947, during both World War I and World War II. Edge ...

also endorsed the amendments in a speech to party leaders in Asbury Park, stating that the less frequent elections would lead to monetary savings. Mayor Hague went to

Bergen County Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.the court house in Hackensack on May 17. He called the term extender amendment "a dastardly piece of politics" and stated that, "the Republicans want to change for no reason other than to regain control of the governor's office. They think that in the presidential year, the national issues will overshadow state issues and their gubernatorial candidate will be pulled through during this confusion." Hague refused to regard 1927 as an off-year election, fearing passage of the amendment would cut into his power as boss of the party. Democratic State Chair Harry Heher called a meeting of the state party committee at the request of Hague, to meet in Trenton, Mercer County, on June 24. The state committee issued a resolution supporting the zoning amendment but opposing the term extender. Page
here
/ref> At the same time, New Jersey Republicans appointed a fundraising committee led by Morris County Clerk

E. Bertram Mott Elias Bertram Mott (March 11, 1879 – September 23, 1961) was an American Republican Party politician who served as chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee and as county clerk of Morris County, New Jersey for more than 50 years. ...

. In early July, the Democratic state convention passed a platform supporting the zoning amendment on the September ballot and opposing the term extender. U.S. Senator

Edward I. Edwards Edward Irving Edwards (December 1, 1863 – January 26, 1931) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 37th governor of New Jersey from 1920 to 1923 and in the United States Senate from 1923 to 1929. Life and career Edwards ...

, a Democrat, was by mid-July leading the rhetorical battle for his party, while Senator Edge and former governor

Edward C. Stokes Edward Casper Stokes (December 22, 1860November 4, 1942) was an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 32nd governor of New Jersey, from 1905 to 1908. Biography Stokes was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1860. He attende ...

led for the Republicans. On July 22, the Republican state committee issued a pamphlet which among other matters discussed the proposed amendments. Regarding the term extender, the pamphlet noted that the greatest number of votes were cast in presidential years, and there should be no objection to having the governor elected by the most voters. Democrats argued that voting the party ticket had become routine in presidential years and that national issues would dominate the debate. On August 1, Secretary of State Joseph Fitzpatrick, a Democrat, addressed Passaic County Democrats. He urged the defeat of all of the proposed amendments except the zoning one. U.S. Representative

Mary T. Norton Mary Teresa Norton (née Hopkins; March 7, 1875 – August 2, 1959) was an American Democratic Party politician who represented Jersey City and Bayonne in the United States House of Representatives from 1925 to 1951. She was the first woman m ...

of New Jersey, the Democratic Party's only female member of the federal House of Representatives, spoke in Hackensack on August 9, and suggested that the zoning measure had been put on the ballot to increase support for the term extender. She stated that the Republican Party's policies were increasing Democratic support. On August 31, Senator Edge called the Democratic opposition to the term extender, "the most brazen partisan appeal in the history of the state", stating that the Democrats' only argument was that "more citizens will vote, which will make more difficult the future election of Democratic governors". Hague spoke in

Camden Camden may refer to: People * Camden (surname), a surname of English origin * Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer * Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor Places Australia * Camden, New South Wales * Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...

on September 1, supporting the zoning amendment (listed as first on the ballot) but he opposed the other four, especially the term extender, the fourth on the ballot. He stated that defeat of the term extender was so vital to the Democratic Party that the final four amendments were all being opposed lest the term extender pass through confusion. He indicated that the party was not opposed to a four-year term for the governor, only to coupling the election with that of the president. Mayor Hague predicted, "Hudson County will come through with one of the greatest majorities against the last four amendments it ever rolled up". Edge responded in Atlantic City two days later, asking for Republicans to turn out in their usual two-to-one majority, "When Mayor Hague goes out of his own county to tour the state as he is now doing, he knows that the passage of these amendments will end the succession of Democratic governors." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reported on September 10 that Republicans feared defections by woman voters persuaded by the Democratic arguments. On September 13, the Democrats held a dinner meeting at the Sea Girt Inn in Sea Girt, Monmouth County, featuring Governor Moore, Senator Edwards and former assemblyman John Matthews of Essex County. There were 1,428 present who had dinner, not counting late arrivals who stood in the room. Matthews stated that passing the amendments would give the party of

Teapot Dome The Teapot Dome scandal was a bribery scandal involving the administration of United States President Warren G. Harding from 1921 to 1923. Secretary of the Interior Albert Bacon Fall had leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome in Wyomin ...

more power in the state. The same night, Hague spoke in

Cliffside Park Cliffside Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 23,594,Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

to gain election, an issue not used by Edge when he was elected governor in 1916. The next night, thousands of Democrats crowded the

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

Armory for a rally against the amendments, with speeches by Moore, Edwards, Norton, Hague and Heher. The governor spoke against Republican arguments that the term extender would increase the number of voters in the gubernatorial election, noting that turnout for the election for governor had nearly equaled that for president in recent years. Camden County Republicans scheduled several meetings for September 19, with the main rally to feature Congressman

Charles A. Wolverton Charles Anderson Wolverton (October 24, 1880 – May 16, 1969) was a Republican Party politician who represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for nearly 32 years, from 1927 to 1959. Car ...

, and with other meetings focused on Italian-American, African-American, Jewish and rural voters.

Election and aftermath

Five proposed amendments were on the ballot on September 20, 1927. The first permitted the legislature to pass legislation allowing municipalities to enact zoning ordinances, the second allowed for the establishment of water supply and sewerage districts, while the third provided that future constitutional amendment proposals would be on the ballot at general, rather than special elections. The fourth was the term extender, and the fifth was to repeal an obsolete provision regarding the selection of judges and prosecutors. Polls were open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., except in rural districts that did not observe Daylight Savings Time, where votes could be cast from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Frank Hague

The term extender amendment was defeated, 219,749 against to 153,960 for (41.2 percent), a margin of 65,789. Of the five amendments, only the zoning amendment passed; the term extender lost by the largest margin of the defeated amendments. Hudson County voted against it by 98,492 against to 28,338 for (22.3 percent), a margin of 70,152. Hudson County provided the margin of defeat on the four beaten amendments and voted for zoning by over 90,000 votes, providing nearly half of the margin of victory there. Turnout was 31.0 percent statewide, but 72.2 percent in Hudson County, which was the county with the greatest number of registered voters, though it was second in population to Essex County per the 1920 census. One in every three votes was cast in Hudson County. The light turnout outside of Hudson County, together with the fact that counties normally Republican by large margins voted against the proposed amendment or supported it only narrowly, meant that the Hudson County vote could not be overcome, and defeated the proposal. Mayor Hague stated that he was "highly pleased" by the result. He called it "a bad thing to use the state constitution for political purposes". Page
here
/ref> Stokes stated that the result was unsurprising, as "it is a difficult thing to educate the people to an interest in abstract organic law". Senator Edge regretted that the state "for at least five more years will remain in a class by itself, with expensive and wholly unnecessary annual legislative sessions and hybrid terms for state officials". Governor Moore said that the vote "shows that the people of New Jersey hold the constitution too sacred to permit political manipulation". '' The Bergen Evening Record'' editorialized that the term extender amendment had been "more or less an insult to the high-minded people of New Jersey... it was so bunglingly framed that it might well have been the handiwork of the pages in the Senate instead of the members. If it had been adopted it would have plunged us into endless confusion." That newspaper also pointed out that though Stokes had long lived in and represented

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Cumberland, historic county *Cumberlan ...

, and that county had returned a Republican to the Assembly the year before with almost 80 percent of the vote, it had voted down the amendment. '' The Morning Post'' of Camden ascribed the Republican defeat to conservatism among New Jersey's voters when it came to changing the constitution, a feeling among them that state and national politics should be separated and that the term extender was unfair, as well as Hague's power and ability. ''The New York Times'' opined that the result showed that Hague was more powerful than ever. The ''Passaic Daily News'' argued that "the pity of the situation is that the Democrats, in their zeal to beat the 'Extender', also defeated three other amendments, which should have been carried". The ''Newark Daily Call'' stated, "outside the ranks of intense partisans there were many who would have supported the term extender amendment had it not been so crudely drawn. As a piece of botch-work it was unique and deserved its fate. It was impossible to defend it with the same enthusiasm displayed by its enemies". After 1938, when New York rewrote its constitution, New Jersey was the only state electing members of its legislature's lower house for a one-year term. In 1939, New Jersey voters passed an amendment to allow parimutuel betting at horse races. Over the next several years, repeated attempts were made to pass a new constitution, but they failed in part because of the opposition of Hague, who considered them partisan (Edge, who had been elected governor again in 1943, supported them). In 1947, a convention that even Hague supported assembled to consider a new draft. The new constitution increased terms of members of the General Assembly to two years and of the Senate to four years, to allow legislators to give more time to state affairs and less to campaigning. According to John E. Bebout and Joseph Harrison in their study of the 1947 New Jersey Constitution, "The old system of annual selection exacted a high price in time, money, wasted experience, and diversion from the main business of the legislature." The term of the governor was increased to four years. Elections for governor and for the legislature were placed in odd-numbered years, allowing for a separation between state and federal affairs. It was passed by the voters overwhelmingly on November 4, 1947 and provided that the General Assembly shall consist of members "elected biennially".

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * *

External links

Text of the proposed amendment
{{DEFAULTSORT:1927 biannual elections proposal, New Jersey biannual elections Constitution of New Jersey Politics of New Jersey New Jersey ballot measures