Election Day is less than a month away, and early voting starts on October 26. This election will be critical, and voting is one of the most direct ways for people to raise their voices and create change.
Whether you are voting early, absentee, or on Election Day, remember to flip your ballot. In addition to individual candidates, New Yorkers will vote on six ballot proposals that will impact daily life in New York. The first of these measures is at the state level, while items 2-6 are city level charter revision proposals. Note: If your ballot contains multiple sheets, you may need to flip each sheet to vote on all ballot proposals.
These votes are cast individually – meaning that a voter can approve one ballot proposal while voting against others. It’s critical to consider the merits of each before casting your vote.
Before you step into the voting booth, or if you’re already there, keep reading to learn more about what is on your ballot this election season.
Key Dates for Your Voting Plan
Plan ahead before casting your ballot. Start building your voting plan by staying up to date with this year's New York City Election Calendar.
- Saturday, October 26 - Sunday, November 3: Vote early in-person before Election Day! Check your early voting poll site and hours before you go.
- Saturday, October 26: This is the deadline to register to vote—the last day for your voter registration application to be received by the Board of Elections by mail or in person. Find your borough Board of Elections office. You may also register to vote online!
- This is also the last day for the Board of Elections to receive an application for early mail or absentee ballot by mail, online portal, email, or fax.
- Monday, November 4: This is the deadline to request your early mail or absentee ballot in-person. Learn more about voting by mail.
- Tuesday, November 5: General Election Day! Head to your poll site between 6 AM - 9 PM. Visit FindMyPollSite.vote.nyc to check your Election Day poll site.
- Tuesday, November 5: This is the deadline to postmark your early mail or absentee ballot in the mail or drop it off at a poll site.
Ballot Proposals
Proposals in this election are for one amendment to the State Constitution and five edits to the New York City Charter. Remember: ballot proposals are on the other side of your ballot! Here are the proposals for this fall:
Ballot Proposal 1: Adds Certain Protections to the State Bill of Rights
Adds anti-discrimination provisions to the State Constitution. Covers ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity and pregnancy. Also covers reproductive healthcare and autonomy.
A “YES” adds these protections against discrimination to the New York State Constitution.
A “NO” vote leaves these protections out of the State Constitution.
Ballot Proposal 2: Cleaning Public Property
This proposal would amend the City Charter to expand and clarify the Department of Sanitation’s power to clean streets and other City property and require disposal of waste in containers.
Voting “Yes” will expand and clarify the Department of Sanitation’s power to clean streets and other City property and require disposal of waste in containers. Voting “No” leaves laws unchanged.
Ballot Proposal 3: Additional Estimates of the Cost of Proposed Laws and Updates to Budget Deadlines
This proposal would amend the City Charter to require fiscal analysis from the Council before hearings and votes on laws, authorize fiscal analysis from the Mayor, and update budget deadlines.
Voting “Yes” would amend the City Charter to require additional fiscal analysis prior to hearings and votes on local laws, and update budget deadlines. Voting “No” leaves laws unchanged.
Ballot Proposal 4: More Notice and Time Before Votes on Public Safety Legislation
This proposal would require additional public notice and time before the City Council votes on laws respecting the public safety operations of the Police, Correction, or Fire Departments.
Voting “Yes” will require additional notice and time before the Council votes on laws respecting public safety operations of the Police, Correction, or Fire Departments. Voting “No” leaves laws unchanged.
Ballot Proposal 5: Capital Planning
This proposal would amend the City Charter to require more detail in the annual assessment of City facilities, mandate that facility needs inform capital planning, and update capital planning deadlines.
Voting “Yes” would require more detail when assessing maintenance needs of City facilities, mandate that facility needs inform capital planning, and update capital planning deadlines. Voting “No” leaves laws unchanged.
Ballot Proposal 6: Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBES), Film Permits, and Archive Review Boards
This proposal would amend the City Charter to establish the Chief Business Diversity Officer (CBDO), authorize the Mayor to designate the office that issues film permits, and combine archive boards.
Voting “Yes” would establish the CBDO to support MWBEs, authorize the Mayor to designate the office that issues film permits, and combine two boards. Voting “No” leaves laws unchanged.
Visit NYC Votes to learn more about each proposal.
Our Office's Position on Ballot Proposals
After careful consideration, our office encourages New Yorkers to approve Ballot Proposal #1 while rejecting the others. Together with the #Nix2Through6 campaign, we believe that adding specific protections against discrimination to the state constitution is vital.
Charter revisions are supposed to be significant, serious, and designed to last for the long-term.
However, the remaining proposals were pushed through a rushed process seemingly aimed at centralizing control of government under City Hall. Charter revisions are supposed to be significant, serious, and designed to last for the long-term. We feel this one is barely designed to last for a news cycle.
There are real questions a charter commission could have grappled with – under New York State law, charter commissions are to be transparent, educate voters, and continue the mission of good government. Instead, this commission hurtled toward foregone conclusions to advance a single agenda. If proposals 2-6 are approved, the implications of that process could impact decades of governance. We urge New Yorkers to read the measures and make their own decisions, but strongly believe that proposals 2-6 should be rejected.
It's crucial in this moment for people to make their voices heard, to make their vote count, to help make our government reflective of and responsive to the needs of our communities.
Don't miss the latest from the Office of the Public Advocate. Subscribe to the Advocate Bulletin newsletter.