Statements and Letters

Citizens Union and Common Cause Say Charter Review Commission Must Delay Ballot Proposals Due to Rushed Process

June 25, 204 - Yesterday, the New York City Charter Review Commission issued its preliminary report on potential changes to the City's charter. In response, Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause New York and Betsy Gotbaum, Executive Director of Citizens Union, issued the following statement about the Commission's process and need to provide greater opportunity for public input

Advocates respond to last-minute attempts to exclude New York City from even-year election reform

June 4, 2024 - The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), Brooklyn Voters Alliance, Citizens Union, Common Cause/NY, Disabled In Action of Metropolitan NY, Dutchess County Progressive Action Alliance (DCPAA), New York Civic Engagement Table, Reinvent Albany, Stand Up America, Village Independent Democrats, and YVote issued the following joint statement in response to a bill introduced in the state legislature yesterday (S9826 Skoufis/A10538 Jacobson) that would move local elections throughout New York State, excluding New York City, to even-numbered years

Watchdog Groups Call on Court of Appeals to Hear Ethics Commission Case

May 13, 2024 - Our groups, united in our belief that the law creating New York’s Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (COELIG) is constitutional, are concerned that the alarming logic of the recent Appellate Court decision would create an imperial Governor who cannot be held accountable for defying the law – short of impeachment or the ballot box.

Citizens Union Supports Disqualifying Candidates Who Engaged in Insurrection from the Ballot in New York State 

January 25, 2024 - Citizens Union released a statement urging the State Legislature to create a viable mechanism for disqualifying candidates under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. This issue has been raised in a number of states, including Colorado and Maine, that have disqualified former President Donald Trump from appearing on their state’s ballots. The New York State Board of Elections is meeting on February 6th to finalize the state’s ballot for the upcoming presidential primary election. 

State Ethics Commission Is Constitutional Say Civic and Watchdog Groups in Amicus Brief 

December 18, 2023 - Citizens Union joins six other groups in an amicus brief for consideration to the Third Department, Appellate Division of the NYS Supreme Court in Cuomo v. NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government. In sum, the brief underscores the compelling need for an independent statewide ethics commission in New York; identifies the failures of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE); and supports the constitutionality of the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (COELIG) appointment process. 

Let NY Vote Members Urge Governor Hochul to Sign Bill Moving Local Elections to Even Years

November 20, 2023 – Dozens of member organizations and partners of the Let NY Vote coalition sent a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul, urging her to sign S3505B/A4282B into law. This bill will move some local elections to even years, giving underrepresented New Yorkers a more meaningful voice in their elections and government. The bill passed the State Senate and State Assembly in June 2023, and it is the only election reform passed by the legislature that has yet to be signed by the Governor.

Good Government Groups Urge Governor Hochul to Sign Into Law S3505B/A4282A, Which Moves Certain Local Elections to Even-numbered Years

Citizens Union, Common Cause/NY, and Reinvent Albany sent a letter to Governor Hochul to urge her to sign into law S3505B/A4282A, which would move certain county and town elections in New York to November of even-numbered years. This legislation will strengthen local democracy in the state by bringing more people to vote for local offices, leading to a more representative voting population and a stronger mandate for elected officials.
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