INTRODUCTION

Ballot proposals are questions placed on the ballot for voters to decide. Voters can vote “yes” or “no” on the proposals. Ballot proposals will 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. In the general election this year, New York City voters will be asked to vote on one City ballot proposal covering 14 changes to the New York City Charter recommended by the Charter Revision Commission. In addition, voters all over New York State will be asked to vote on one state ballot proposal.

Please read each question on the ballot very carefully when you vote. The order in which these ballot issues are presented in the Voter Guide is not necessarily the order in which the questions will appear on the ballot. They may also be numbered differently.

In this Voter Guide, you will find material devoted to the City ballot question on charter revision, in the following order:

• The official text of the ballot question (as it will appear on the ballot);
  
• The official summary of the ballot question;
  
• Statements prepared by the Board highlighting major arguments; and
  
• “Pro” and “con” statements submitted by the public

The statements prepared by the Board highlight some of the major arguments why you should vote “yes” or “no” on the City ballot question. These arguments are based upon statements made by many groups and individuals for and against the ballot proposal, including statements made at hearings before the Charter Revision Commission, in the press, and in submissions to the Board by the public following the solicitation of opinions on the proposal.

Following this section are “pro” and “con” statements submitted to the Board by the public. The Board received 61 statements from the public. Of these, 7 were late or were otherwise not in compliance with the law. Of the remaining 54, 15 were “pro” and 39 were “con”. All 15 “pro” statements and a representative sample of the “con” statements are included in this Guide. Many were edited by the Board. The public’s statements are presented in alphabetical order by author, except that the first “pro” statement is from the Charter Revision Commission’s Chairman Randy M. Mastro and the first “con“ statement is from the Speaker of the City Council, Peter F. Vallone. The Board does not attest to the accuracy of any information provided in these statements. The names of all those who submitted timely and otherwise legally acceptable statements are also included. All submissions made to the Board, whether or not timely or legally acceptable and whether or not the authors are listed in this Guide, are available for public inspection at the Board’s offices.

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 proposal.

The statements presented may not represent all the possible arguments for or against the ballot proposals. 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.

Introduction
Official Text
Official Summary
History and Description
Highlights of the Major Arguments
Pro and Con Statements Received from the Public
New York State Ballot Proposal