It was great to see many of you at our annual Gotham Greats Awards. The event honored four outstanding New Yorkers — Carrie Cohen, Alicia Glen, Randy Mastro, and Brendan McGuire.

Election Day is approaching. For those of you who haven’t taken advantage of Early Voting, we have some recommendations for you before you fill out your ballot. In addition to voting for candidates, New York City voters will decide on six important ballot questions. If you’re not sure where to start, our comprehensive guide provides recommendations to help New York City voters make informed decisions on the six proposals that can be found on the back of your ballot.

And if you’re still undecided about who to vote for President, Citizens Union has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. You can read our full voter’s guide here and learn more about what we’ve been up to this month in this edition of The Reformer.

Best,

Betsy Gotbaum
Executive Director, Citizens Union/Citizens Union Foundation

POLICY UPDATES

Don’t forget to flip your ballot! Citizens Union Announces Positions on 2024 Ballot Questions

As New York City voters prepare for the November 2024 election, we have released our recommendations on the six ballot proposals.

After a thorough evaluation, we recommend voting YES on Proposal 1—the NYS Constitutional Amendment to Protect Against Unequal Treatment. This statewide constitutional amendment would add critical protections to the New York State Constitution’s Bill of Rights, barring discrimination based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and reproductive healthcare decisions, including abortion. Even though these protections already exist in state law, by making them part of the constitution, we safeguard these rights from being easily rolled back in the future.

We urge voters to vote NO on Proposals 2-6, amendments to the NYC Charter. The deeply flawed Charter Revision Commission process lacked transparency, sufficient public input, and time for deliberation. While some of the ballot proposals have problems with what they are proposing, the more alarming concern is the deeply flawed process in which the Commission operated. It worked under a hasty timeline, leaving no room for a thorough charter review or proper public input. Moreover, these proposals could have been handled through legislative or executive action and do not require a charter commission process.

Citizens Union has always advocated for comprehensive, well-thought-out revisions to the City Charter, and we believe these rushed proposals undermine the integrity of the process.

For a detailed breakdown of all six ballot proposals and our recommendations, click here.

Citizens Union Endorses Kamala Harris for President

For only the second time in our 125-year history, Citizens Union has endorsed a candidate for President: Vice President Kamala Harris. Her leadership on voting rights, commitment to the rule of law, and dedication to ensuring a peaceful transfer of power are critical in this pivotal moment for our democracy.

Donald Trump, who remains a threat to the democratic institutions we hold dear, continues to trade in disinformation and undermine the electoral process. His actions, both in 2020 and now, present unprecedented dangers to our nation’s future.

The 2024 election is a pivotal moment for our nation. Citizens Union cannot remain silent when our democracy is at stake.

To read our full endorsement, click here.

Citizens Union Responds to Onondaga Supreme Court Ruling on Election Consolidation

This month, the Onondaga Supreme Court ruled against the new state law that aligns local town and county elections with even-numbered years. Citizens Union is deeply disappointed by this decision, which halts a proven strategy to increase voter turnout and strengthen local government representation.

Aligning local elections with state and federal races is a proven way to increase voter turnout and make local government more reflective of the communities it serves. Critics and the judge have claimed that voters will be less informed about local issues in even-numbered years. There is no evidence that this is true. Voters can and do engage with both local and national issues when given the opportunity. Our priority should be making it easier, not harder, for people to vote. We remain confident that this decision will be overturned on appeal.

To read more about the benefits of consolidating elections, including higher voter turnout and cost savings, see our report here.