Skip to content

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.

Citizens Union Announces Positions on 2024 Ballot Questions

October 10, 2024 - Today, Citizens Union announced its official positions on the six ballot questions that New York City voters will consider in the upcoming November 2024 general election. These questions include a statewide constitutional amendment and five proposed amendments to the New York City Charter

Citizens Union Report Finds Ample Opportunities for Public Input on Public Safety Bills in the City Council

July 8, 2024 - There is already ample opportunity for the public to comment on Public Safety bills before the New York City Council, according to a comprehensive analysis released today by Citizens Union. The report found that there were no major differences in time awarded for input on public safety bills compared with other bills; that the current Council does not provide less time for public input on public safety bills compared to previous Councils; and that high-profile public safety bills that drove the conversation took longer to approve than many other contentious bills.

Back To Top

This site is under construction. Stay tuned for our relaunch!

X