Citizens Union released a detailed analysis of the June primary elections in New York City, examining the impact of Ranked Choice Voting. The analysis found that Ranked Choice Voting gave more voters a say in elections, with fewer votes “wasted” on candidates who fell well short of winning their races. The analysis also found that voter turnout increased; voters embraced Ranked Choice Voting and navigated the system well; and the number of women running, and the number of women and people of color winning increased. These benefits were seen throughout the city.

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After a counting error from the New York City Board of Elections (BOE) threw New York City’s June primary into chaos, Citizens Union has issued a series of recommendations aimed at restoring the faith voters have in the BOE. The recommendations call on the BOE to be fully transparent as votes are counted, accelerate the release of raw vote count data and agree to an independent inquiry. Citizens Union also renewed their call to make the BOE independent of party leaders, and called on the state legislature to take steps to create a more effective, independent agency.

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Today, Citizens Union announced its candidate preferences in the races for Mayor and Comptroller under New York City’s new ranked choice voting system.  After rigorously evaluating 7 candidates for Mayor and 9 candidates for Comptroller, Citizens Union prefers Kathryn Garcia and Eric Adams for Mayor and Brian Benjamin and Corey Johnson for Comptroller.

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Citizens Union announced its preferences in 11 contested primary elections, including the races for Manhattan Borough President, Brooklyn Borough President, Manhattan District Attorney, and eight City Council seats.

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 Citizens Union Foundation (CUF) has announced that the website ElectNYC.org, the organization’s nonpartisan voter education effort for the 2021 New York City elections, is now live. ElectNYC.org provides non-partisan and unbiased write-ups on the candidates running in the NYC primary and is the most comprehensive voter resource currently available.

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Citizens Union, New York’s preeminent good government group, today issued a report outlining a comprehensive agenda for reform to make the New York City Police Department more transparent and accountable.

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Citizens Union, New York’s preeminent good government group, has issued the following statement applauding Governor Andrew Cuomo for announcing he will sign legislation bringing Automatic Voter Registration to New York State

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Citizens Union, issues the following statement from Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum in response to calls to suspend the implementation of Ranked Choice Voting: “Last fall, over 73 percent of New York City voters voted to approve Ranked Choice Voting. This reform will foster more positive, issue-focused campaigns, give voters more choice, ensure that elected officials are accountable to a broader spectrum of their constituents and avoid costly, time consuming and unnecessary runoff elections.”

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