This month, we saw the best and worst of our democracy. On January 6th, insurrectionists, encouraged by our former President, stormed the Capitol building in an effort to reverse the results of the Presidential election. At that same location two weeks later, we got to witness the swearing in of a new President. This historic event also saw Kamala Harris become the first female Vice President in history. 
 
Here in New York, we’re experiencing new beginnings too. On February 2, the first New York City election using Ranked Choice Voting will take place in Queens. Citizens Union has long advocated for Ranked Choice Voting and we look forward to seeing this reform in action. 
 
The State Legislature has started a new session and will be taking up important voting reforms to build on the great work they’ve done over the past two years in protecting and expanding the right to vote. 
 
You’ll read about the work we’re doing in Albany, the upcoming New York City elections and more in this issue of The Reformer.
 
Best,

In 2014, Citizens Union fought to pass a constitutional amendment that reformed New York’s rigged redistricting process by creating a new independent redistricting commission and curbing partisan gerrymandering. Last summer, the Legislature took a step back towards reversing this progress, by approving a new constitutional amendment that would eliminate the minority party’s voice in redistricting, diminish the role of the Independent Redistricting Commission, and bring back redistricting power to the hands of lawmakers. 

The Legislature recently passed this amendment for a second time, meaning it will be on the ballot this fall for voters to approve or reject. Citizens Union strongly opposed this proposal, and the highly rushed timeline of its approval, with no room for public input. We will continue to fight for a fair and open redistricting process. 

Senate Passes Election Reforms
The State Senate began the current legislative session by passing reforms that improve New York’s electoral system and empower voters. This includes legislation to permanently authorize absentee ballot drop boxes, create an absentee ballot tracking system, allow voters to apply for absentee ballots online and more. We thank the Senate for their work to advance this pro-democracy legislation, and encourage the Assembly and Governor to act to pass these reforms into law immediately.