June 24, 2014 - Good government organization reveals 31 percent drop in voter turnout in 2012 compared to earlier years when primary elections were held simultaneously.
April 17, 2014 - On Tuesday September 9th, 2014 registered voters in New York will head to the polls for the Primary Election. Citizens Union's Voters Directory helps voters by providing a comprehensive overview of the 2014 party primary elections, including voting and registration information and listings of every contest for all races on the ballot.
February 4, 2014 - Most New Yorkers will no longer have to squint or use a magnifying glass to read their election ballot when they vote. The City Board of Elections today voted to limit the number of required languages on voters’ ballots to three – down from as many as five in previous elections – paving the way for increasing the font size of candidates’ names and removing unnecessary clutter from the ballot.
May 22, 2013 - Good government groups issued this statement today voicing their strenuous opposition to S.4088-B (Golden/No Number Yet in the Assembly), a bill that would authorize the New York City Board of Elections (City Board) to use mechanical lever voting machines in and for any non-federal elections. The bill has passed the Senate and the Assembly is seriously considering a return to lever machines.
April 3, 2013 - Responds To federal complaint against Senator Malcolm Smith and City Councilmember Dan Halloran with proposals for campaign finance reform, new power for State Attorney General and nonpartisan elections.
March 19, 2013 - Good Government Group's request for more substantive and meaningful annual report met. Includes in-depth operational data for each election held this past year.
Citizens Union provides its own analysis of high and low points; report highlights needed legislative and administrative changes to improve administration of elections and voter engagement.
November 19, 2012 - Council races are more contested, feature more candidates, with campaigns more evenly financed than state legislative races. Public matching programs play a large role; campaign finance reform needed for state elections.
November 14, 2012 - Photographs and affidavits submitted to state supreme court and appellate division raise questions about election-day conduct warranting an investigation.
October 11, 2012 - Eric Adams, Tony Avella, Marty Golden, And Diane Savino for State Senate; Joe Borelli, Jeffrey Dinowitz, Ron Kim, Nicole Malliotakis, And Nily Rozic for State Assembly.
August 30, 2012 - Supports challengers to ethically challenged incumbents Shirley Huntley, Naomi Rivera, William Boyland, Jr., and Carmen Arroyo.
Supports Barbara Jaffe for Manhattan surrogate.
Issues preference for nine challengers, two incumbents; 19 Senate and 42 Assembly primaries in New York City are uncontested.
March 20, 2012 - Undemocratic party nomination process undermines competition for vacant open seats and chooses insiders beholden to party interests, not voters.
Reforms needed to open up the process of filling vacancies.
Citizens Union urges the legislature to take up bills proposed by Assemblymembers Hakeem Jeffries and Linda Rosenthal.
March 14, 2012 - Fidler's commitment to reform campaign finance and restore integrity to representation in the district key factors in endorsement.
Experienced Lawmaker would bring needed Gravitas to Albany.
July 1, 2011 - As New York’s leading civic reform organizations, we are disappointed in Governor Cuomo’s decision not to hold regular primaries and general elections this fall for six vacant State Assembly seats and instead issue proclamations to hold special elections for these seats on September 13th. We strongly disagree with this decision, which we believe will result in lower voter turnout, increased confusion at the polls and potentially higher costs to localities.
November 4, 2010 - Numerous ballot-related complaints from NYC voters on election day reveal need for this common-sense reform. Citizens Union repeats call for City Board of Elections to post sample ballots online for future elections.