New York City voters had the opportunity to vote for six ballot proposals, some of which were hotly debated, that would change policies and procedures in the city’s Charter.
Ballot Proposal 1, a reproductive freedom measure, and Ballot Proposals 2 through 5 passed while Ballot Proposal 6 did not, according to unofficial election night results posted by the New York City Board of Elections (NYC BOE) on Nov. 5.
“It is unfortunate that Mayor Adams’ commission advanced anti-democratic proposals and inaccurately worded questions onto the ballot to mislead New Yorkers,” said Speaker Adams in a statement. “Tonight demonstrates the dire need for better safeguards to ensure city ballot proposals are accurately presented to voters. There is serious work needed to protect our local democracy from a mayor willing to disregard norms in the pursuit of power that removes checks and balances.”
The struggle between Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams began in May of this year when the Speaker introduced the advice-and-consent law. The law allowed for City Council approval over Mayor Adams’s city commissioner appointments, which were already under scrutiny prior to his recent federal indictment. Shortly after the law’s introduction, Mayor Adams countered by convening a Charter Revision Commission (CRC) to change the city’s constitution. After a short series of public hearings, he added proposals 2 through 6 to the back of ballots for public vote, in spite of massive backlash from the city’s progressives.
On Oct. 30, Speaker Adams pulled the same move and initiated a new CRC under Int. 1088 to try and tip the scales back in the council’s favor.
All in all, the Mayor seems pleased that the majority of his proposals passed.
“Working-class New Yorkers spoke, and the Charter Revision Commission listened. This is a great day for everyone who desires a safer city, cleaner streets, greater fiscal responsibility, transparency in the city’s capital planning process,” he said in a statement, “and, of course, access to abortion care.”
Here’s a breakdown of the ballot measures and voting totals from Election Day:
Ballot Proposal 1: This proposal adds protections to New York State’s Bill of Rights. It prohibits discrimination for New Yorkers based on ethnicity, origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes.
Yes vote — 77.66% No vote — 22.34%
Ballot Proposal 2: This proposal provides the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) with more authority to keep the city, streets, and parks clean. It also allows the regulation of how garbage is collected from New Yorkers.
Yes vote — 61.74% No vote–38.26%
Ballot Proposal 3: This proposal allows the Mayor’s Office and the City Council to get their own cost estimates of proposed laws, and must provide cost estimates of proposed laws before voting on them. It requires City Council to notify the Mayor’s Office before any public hearings or voting on the laws. This proposal also extends the deadline for the Mayor to publish the city budget.
Yes vote–55.71% No vote–44.29%
Ballot Proposal 4: This proposal will allow more notice for votes on issues regarding public safety legislation. The City Council must give 30 days notice before voting on public safety laws that impact the police department, corrections department, or the fire department. During this time, the Mayor and affected city agencies may also hold public hearings to hear additional public input.
Yes vote–57.07% No vote — 42.93%
Ballot Proposal 5: In this proposal, the city must assess the cost of planned capital projects and publish the assessments planning reports.
Yes vote–57.77% No vote — 42.23%
Ballot Proposal 6: This proposal would create a new role to support Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) and merge two boards that manage records into one board.
Yes vote — 47.36% No vote–52.64%
Most advocates at the state level are thrilled about Ballot Proposal 1 passing, considering that abortion care and reproductive health in other states have been under attack since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022. New York State leadership in particular vowed to enshrine LGBTQIA+ rights, abortion care, reproductive care, and gender identity protections into its state constitution because of the overturning.
“New Yorkers have once again reelected one of the largest Democratic majorities in State Senate history. Today, with the passage of Proposition 1, New Yorkers have made their voices heard in a powerful call for abortion access, equal rights, and protections for all,” said State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins in a statement. “The State Senate Democratic Majority fought to bring this historic amendment to the ballot, giving voters the opportunity to enshrine fairness and equality in our constitution.”
At the city level, a coalition of advocates believe that Mayor Adams “used deception & cynicism to con New Yorkers” into passing most of his proposed ballot measures. They claim that the charter commission was “stacked” with the Mayor’s allies and that the proposals are “misleading.”
There is also immense concern as to how the proposals will impact criminal justice legislation and street vendors as well as Black, Brown, and immigrant communities. Darren Mack, co-director of Freedom Agenda, said that increasing transparency and accountability in the corrections department is essential to closing Rikers. Mack said Proposal 4 makes it harder to pass laws to stem police and correction officer’s abuses.
Deputy Director of the Street Vendor Project Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez added that Proposal 2 is “an unfair blow” to street vendors who have always worked hard to serve their communities and are a staple of New York’s iconic street food culture. “We’re already seeing the city dramatically ramp up its punitive enforcement, while doing nothing to solve underlying economic injustices,” said Kaufman-Gutierrez. “From property confiscation to violent harassment along Roosevelt Avenue, vendors are being attacked for lacking permits, at the same time that they are denied any chance to get a permit.”
The New York Working Families Party (NYWFP) and the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) both swore to fight for charter revision commission reforms.
“Mayor Adams succeeded in his stealth attempt to increase his power at the expense of New Yorkers,” said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman in a statement. “An important next step will be reforming the City Charter revision process to make sure this kind of deceptive mayoral power grab can’t happen again.”
We are encouraged by the proposed legislation to curtail these rushed charter commissions and prevent this from happening in the future,” said WFP Co-Directors Ana María Archila and Jasmine Gripper in a statement.