City Charter Revision

Letter to the Charter Commission to Strengthen Local Democracy requesting public update on Commission’s work

August 27, 2025 - We write to request that you quickly release the Commission to Strengthen Local Democracy final report, which was scheduled to be released before the end of July. We also ask that you provide the public with an estimated timeline of the Commission’s planned activity from now until next November that makes it clear whether there will be additional public outreach and solicitation of recommendations and when proposed Charter changes will be selected for the ballot.

Citizens Union Applauds Charter Revision Commission Approving an Even-Year Elections Ballot Question for this November

July 21, 2025 — Citizens Union issued the following statement from Executive Director Grace Rauh ahead of the final meeting of the 2025 Charter Revision Commission, which is expected to approve a ballot question to move New York City’s local elections to even-numbered years. This reform has long been championed by Citizens Union, which has provided the Commission with testimony, research, and comments addressing various aspects of election consolidation

Citizens Union Applauds Charter Revision Commission for Advancing Open Primaries and Even Year Elections 

April 30, 2025 - Citizens Union has issued the following statement from Board Chair John Avlon applauding the Charter Revision Commission for including two transformative reforms in their report issued today: moving New York City elections to even-numbered years and implementing a top-two open primary system. These long-standing priorities of Citizens Union represent important steps toward a more inclusive, participatory, and representative local democracy:

Group memo of support: Council Resolution on Charter Commission Reform

March 11, 2025 - Citizens Union, the League of Women Voters of the City of New York, the New York Civil Liberties Union, and Reinvent Albany submitted a memo in support of Resolution 740-2025 (Restler), calling on the State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, S.590/A.3665

Citizens Union Calls on Charter Revision Commissions to Implement Bold Reforms to Strengthen Democracy and Government Accountability

February 24, 2025 - Citizens Union today released a new report urging both New York City Charter Revision Commissions to take decisive action to strengthen democracy and enhance government accountability. The report, published ahead of Citizens Union’s testimony before the Mayoral Commission this evening, calls for comprehensive reforms, including establishing a process to remove mayors for misconduct, implementing top-two open primary elections, moving city elections to even-numbered years, and expanding the powers and independence of the Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB).

Testimony before the 2025 Charter Revision Commission – Government Reform February Hearing

February 24, 2025 - Today, Citizens Union published a report outlining a series of recommended reforms aimed at strengthening democracy, enhancing ethics laws, and improving the system of checks and balances within City government. While this testimony highlights key proposals, we encourage the Commission to review our full report for additional recommendations and welcome any questions on such proposals.

Memo of Support for S590 (Krueger)/A3665 (Simone), Charter Revision Process Reform

February 3, 2025 - An act to amend the municipal home rule law, in relation to the city charter referendum process; and to repeal paragraphs (e), (f) and (g) of subdivision 5 of section 36 of the municipal home rule law, relating to limitations on the submitting of a question to the qualified electors of a city when there is a question submitted by a charter commission.

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