By Forum Staff
Leaders from the majority and minority conferences of the City Council on Tuesday urged the City Board of Elections to reject three ballot proposals submitted by the Charter Revision Commission for the 2025 general election in November, due to their deceptive and inaccurate language making them noncompliant with state law, according to the council.
In a letter to BOE commissioners, the request for the proposals’ rejection highlights that New York State Municipal Home Rule Law requires that referenda “clearly … indicate the effect of their approval.” However, according to the council, the language for these three proposals fails to disclose that they eliminate the voting authority of the council on a range of public land use decisions, which is currently the only vote by democratically elected representatives within the process. They would shift authority for land use decisions from the democratically elected council to unelected appointees, the majority of whom are chosen by the mayor. Yet, neither the proposals’ questions nor their associated abstracts that voters will encounter on their election ballots clearly state these major changes.
“When New York City voters weigh in on ballot questions this November, they deserve to know the impact of their decision in clear and honest terms,” said Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. The speaker later called on the BOE to “protect voters and voting rights” by rejecting three of the four ballot proposals.
According to council leaders, CRC ballot-proposal language leaves voters without a clear understanding of the implications of their decisions and therefore, fails to meet statutory requirements and a basic commitment to democracy that respects voters’ informed consent and will.
The letter states: “When the City Board of Elections makes its upcoming Election Law Section 4-114 determination of the November 2025 ballot, it must reject these three ballot questions based on the law. In particular, the three questions fail to inform voters that the ballot proposals will completely eliminate the City Council’s existing authority on behalf of the public to approve or modify a wide range of land use proposals… Questions 2, 3, and 4 must be rejected for placement on the November ballot because their primary impact is being hidden from voters, undermining the franchise. Failing to disclose this information is no small omission. It is not fair to ask New Yorkers to vote on such major changes to a significant democratic process without ever actually telling them what they are voting to change in accurate and clear terms. The Board of Elections has an essential responsibility and role in ensuring that voters are not misled here.”
Council Minority Leader Joann Ariola said, “New Yorkers deserve honesty, not bait-and-switch ballot language designed to mislead people into voting against their own best interests. These proposals would strip away the voices of communities in every borough and block the council from standing up for the people who elected us. This is unacceptable, and these proposals must be rejected outright, to protect the democratic institutions that are a cornerstone of this city.”
