Ballot proposals are questions placed on the ballot for voters to decide. Voters can vote “yes” or “no” on the proposals. Ballot proposals appear on the right-hand side of the ballot in the voting booth.

The Voter Guide is published for every general election in which questions for voters in New York City are on the ballot, as required by law. This year there are three possible ballot issues on which New Yorkers may have an opportunity to vote on November 3:

• Charter Revision Commission’s proposal on campaign finance reform
• City Council’s referendum on Yankee Stadium
• Citizens’ petition on campaign finance reform

It was not known at press time which, if any, of these ballot proposals would appear as a question on the ballot because, depending on the results of ongoing litigation, one, two, or all three of the proposals might be omitted from the ballot entirely.

Please read every question that actually appears on the ballot very carefully. The order in which these possible ballot issues are presented in the Voter Guide is not necessarily the order in which questions on these issues would appear on the ballot.

Under the regulations of the Campaign Finance Board, the Board may publish “pro” and “con” statements on municipal ballot proposals in addition to the text and summary of those proposals. The “pro” and “con” arguments that appear directly after the description, text, and summary of the possible ballot proposals were prepared by the Board and highlight some of the major arguments. These arguments are based upon statements made by many groups and individuals for and against the possible ballot proposals, including statements made in the press, at hearings before the City Council and the Charter Revision Commission, and in submissions to the Board by the public following solicitation of the public’s opinions on the possible proposals.

Also included are “pro” and “con” statements submitted to the Board by the public. In response to its solicitation, the Board received 25 statements from the public, which are available for inspection at the Board’s offices. The Board has printed all the statements it received that were responsive to its requests for “pro” and “con” statements. The public’s statements are presented in alphabetical order by author, except that the first statement for the “pro” side is that of the major proponent of the proposed law and, for the “con” side, a major opponent of the proposed law. The Board does not attest to the accuracy of any information provided in these statements from the public.

The “pro” and “con” statements that appear in the Guide do not in any way represent the views of the New York City Campaign Finance Board, which takes no position for or against any ballot proposals.

The statements presented may not represent all the possible arguments for or against the possible ballot proposals and some arguments on one side of an issue may be inconsistent with each other. The Campaign Finance Board urges you to follow the public debate on the possible ballot proposals so that you can make an informed decision based upon information from the different groups and individuals who will be discussing the issues on television, in the newspapers, and elsewhere, and not to rely only on the information presented in this Voter Guide.

At the bottom of this page you will find links to text that (1) describes each of the potential ballot proposals as of the time the 1998 Voter Guide went to press, and (2) offers any updated information available regarding that ballot proposal, such as the outcome of any litigation concerning that proposal’s appearance on the ballot.