DRAFT CONSTITUTION'S PROVISIONS 463

that the strength of a narrowly defeated Party candidate would con-
tribute to the likelihood of success of his Party's Primary victor, and
that the people would thereby gain a better candidate for Lieutenant
Governor. Practically, I see only an invitation to logrolling and an
opportunity for complicity among Primary candidates, particularly
where one such candidate is merely acting as a "stalking-horse" to
test or temper opinion on volatile issues.

The stipulation I most seriously contest in Section 4. 05 is the spec-
ification that a Governor should take office on the third Wednesday
in January following his election. As I noted in my address before
the total Convention on September 29, 1967, this provision (in con-
junction with Section 3. 12) seriously impairs the exercise of leader-
ship and initiative by the Governor-elect. It is my belief that this di-
rective should be changed to allow the Governor-elect to be in-
augurated on the first Wednesday in January. On that day, the newly-
elected General Assembly could hold its brief but vital organizational
meeting. I have also advocated that the regular session of the General
Assembly be convened on the first Wednesday in February. The cumu-
lative effect of these two recommendations would provide the Gover-
nor-elect with sufficient time and authority to assemble a personal
staff, to review and possibly revise the budget and to prepare a legis-
lative program. Without this adjustment in the draft to provide great-
er time, the execution of the will of the electorate, whose plurality
can be interpreted as an implicit endorsement of the new Governor's
programs and policies, is postponed if not circumvented for at least
one year.

Finally, it is my belief that in the remote case of a tie vote be-
tween gubernatorial candidates, a runoff election between the two
candidates receiving the largest and tie vote is the only equitable
resolution consistent with our fundamental democratic values.

I base this contention upon the present political pattern of the
State, where voter registration numbers approximately three Demo-
crats to every one Republican. Yet, this Democratic party preponder-
ance has not been reflected in the record of the past five gubernatorial
elections where, in fact, three terms were won by Republican candi-
dates and only two by a Democrat. However, the composition of the
General Assembly throughout the period continued as a large Demo-
cratic majority.

In the case of a tie election decided by a joint session of the Gen-
eral Assembly, keeping in mind present registration figures and voting
patterns, several facts can be immediately assumed: