What to Know About New York’s Six Ballot Measures

Millions of people in New York will make their voices heard this election cycle, casting their votes for president and the State Legislature, and in a number of key congressional races that will help determine which party controls the House.

But if voters flip their ballots over, they can also weigh in on ballot proposals that could amend the state’s Constitution and change the law in New York City.

The first measure, Proposition 1, which will appear on all ballots throughout the state, will ask voters if they support a constitutional amendment protecting reproductive rights. The other five, which will only appear on ballots in New York City, would make changes to the city’s governing charter.

The citywide proposals, known as Propositions 2 through 6, were suggested by a 13-member Charter Revision Commission that Mayor Eric Adams appointed earlier this year. The move effectively killed a ballot proposal floated by the City Council, which would have curtailed the mayor’s power to unilaterally make some commissioner-level appointments.

Council members have criticized the process as rushed, and argued that approving the citywide ballot questions would give the mayor too much power over their ability to pass laws. The Council published a guide that is critical of the measures, warning they could “weaken checks-and-balances, making city government less responsive to New Yorkers.” Leading elected officials, including the city comptroller, public advocate and nearly half the Council, oppose all five citywide measures.

All six ballot initiatives will appear in clear language after a state law passed last year required them to be written at an eighth-grade reading level.