Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

News

A Breakdown Of The Five Proposals Appearing On Your November Ballot

David Cruz

Published Oct 6, 2021

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

A v oting privacy booth

David Cruz / Gothamist

David Cruz

Published Oct 6, 2021

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

It's not just the race for New York City mayor that's on the ballot this November. There will also be five proposals, which, if passed, will immediately take effect on January 1st, 2022 and be inserted in the state constitution, making it harder for state lawmakers to amend them in the future.

Voters are not required to vote "yes" or "no" on all proposals. Some of the five proposals are simple updates to the state constitution while others have major implications down the road for the State Legislature and the party in power.

Here's what you need to know before you step into the voting booth.

Hear David Cruz explaining the five ballot proposals on the Brian Lehrer Show.

Ballot Proposal #1: Updating The State's Redistricting Process

New York State is currently undergoing the process of redrawing state Senate, Assembly, and congressional district lines, commonly known as redistricting. Only for the first time in state history, that responsibility that had once been solely left up to the State Legislature, which has led to lawsuits, is shared with the newly formed Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC).

The 10-member commission—comprised of four Republican appointees, four Democrat appointees, and two chosen by Republican and Democratic appointees—convened for the first time this year following a 2014 referendum vote to the state constitution. Map-makers have since released two map proposals, undercutting its goal of keeping the redistricting process politics-free. The IRC is now in the process of redrawing those lines following the decennial release of new U.S. Census figures.

But now, under Ballot Proposal #1, the state wants to make changes to the way the commission operates. The ballot proposal is now asking voters to decide whether state law can be updated to:

Remove a rule that the commission needs to have co-executive directors comprised of one appointed by Republican commissioners and one by Democratic commissioners. Since the commission already has two co-executive directors, this proposed rule might have no bearing on the current redistricting process. But it might have an impact a decade from now, when the commission is expected to reconvene, opening the possibility of two co-executive directors picked by the same party. This further removes the appearance of bipartisanship, undermining the commission's mission of keeping the map-making process politics-free.
Shorten the timeline. The State Legislature can approve the redistricting maps, or reject them and have them sent back to the commission for a second try. Under the proposal, deadlines would shift and the window of time to resubmit maps would be shortened by two weeks. If the State Legislature rejects the maps the second time, then lawmakers can begin drawing their own maps, which then have to be approved by lawmakers and the governor. The proposal for a compressed timeline has been construed as creating a scenario where the commission will have little time to create a consensus around the maps and allow the State Legislature to just create their own maps.

However, the shorter deadline has also been viewed as a way for the State Legislature to have these maps in place in time for candidates to start collecting signatures to get on the June primary ballot. Ten years from now, the maps would have to be submitted between November 1st and November 15th, as per the proposal.
Make sure that every person in New York State is counted in the redistricting process just in case the Census Bureau decides not to include them in their count--including non-citizens and those who live on Native American reservations, currently referred to as "aliens." While this proposal is already in state law, it's not in the state's constitution, affording it fewer protections. The proposal would also remove the term "aliens."
Allow what's called a "simple majority" for lawmakers from the Assembly and Senate to approve or reject district maps if 7 of the 10 commissioners agree on the maps. Currently, the rule to approve these maps requires two-thirds of legislators, a threshold known as a "supermajority," if the Assembly and Senate are controlled by the same party (which they currently are). This has far-reaching implications since the party in power can ram through district maps without much help from the minority party, leaving open the possibility of gerrymandering.
Ensure prison detainees are counted not by where they're currently incarcerated, but by their last known home address. This means that a Rockland County resident detained in Clinton Correctional Facility in Clinton County will be counted as a Rockland County resident. This provision can increase populations in the southern end of New York City, which can lead to greater resources. While this provision is already in state law, it's not in the constitution, and consequently will apply to congressional-level redrawing of maps.
Set the number of state Senate districts to 63, as it currently stands, instead of 50, as it's currently stated in the constitution.
Eliminate the so-called "block on border" provision. As it stands, mapmakers can create a district border that separates your neighborhood into separate legislative districts. This has resulted in neighborhoods such as Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park in Queens becoming severely gerrymandered and represented by seven Assembly Districts. The proposed rule will create a more rigid system that prevents mapmakers from placing Senate district borders in the middle of a neighborhood, diluting the power.

(A "yes" or "no" vote on the proposal would cover all the amendments.)

Ballot Proposal #2: Entitlements To Clean Environment

This amendment proposal would add this line to the state's Bill of Rights: “Each person shall have a right to clean air and water, and a healthful environment.” The proposal, however, is vague on what happens if the state fails to produce this guarantee for New Yorkers.

Environmental groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an advocacy group calling for greater protections to the environment, are hailing this proposal as a simple but effective way to guarantee a healthy environment. In a statement posted on its website in support of the law, the group said the amendment is a "critical tool to hold others accountable," and they pointed to similar amendments passed in Pennsylvania and Montana, which led to greater environmental protections.

According to a breakdown of the proposal by the League of Women Voters summarizing the pros and cons of such a proposal, the simplicity of the provision can give it "great flexibility to the New York courts to interpret and apply the provisions. More details regarding enforcement and definitions, duties and obligations related to environmental rights are required."

Peter Iwanowicz, executive director at Environmental Advocates NY, which led the campaign to push for the proposal in 2017, told Gothamist/WNYC that the language of the bill is designed to work in "harmony with existing regulatory structures."

"It's no longer going to be about controlling pollution, it's going to be about preventing pollution," Iwanowicz said.

Ballot Proposal #3: Shortening Ten-Day Voting Registration

The proposal erases the requirement that you must register to vote a minimum of 10 days before any election in the state constitution. The State Legislature would then have to pass laws allowing you to register to vote less than 10 days before an election.

A "yes"vote could pave the way for same-day voter registration.

Ballot Proposal #4: No-Excuse Absentee Ballot Requests

Currently, the only way to obtain an absentee ballot is by declaring you're either too sick or disabled to get to poll site, or not in the county you're registered to vote in to cast a ballot on the day of an election. This proposal would allow you to get an absentee ballot without having to offer any explanation. But just like Ballot Proposal #3, the next step would require the State Legislature to come up with a state law.

Former Governor Andrew Cuomo temporarily created a no-excuse balloting process because of the pandemic, but Ballot Proposal #4 will permanently add that privilege to the constitution. The outcome can make absentee ballots a deal-breaker when it comes to really close elections, as we saw during the mayoral primary race.

Ballot Proposal #5: Expand NYC Civil Court's Purview

While judges in New York City Civil Court can currently hear and decide claims of up to $25,000, as has been the case since 1983, this proposal would allow them to hear and decide cases double the current maximum.

If this proposal takes effect, it would decrease the workload imposed on judges in State Supreme Court. The added benefit for you is waiting less time to have your case heard at NYC Civil Court when compared to the State Supreme Court, which is often overwhelmed. So instead of waiting months to have your case heard at State Supreme Court, it could just be a matter of weeks.

Tagged

redistricting

election 2021

ballot

David Cruz

David is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE news

Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park

People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.

Charles Lane

Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET

Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says

It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.

Liam Quigley

News

Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says

It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.

Liam Quigley

New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ

Arya Sundaram

A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.

Samantha Max

Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910

Michael Sol Warren

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .