Buffalo voters rarely get a real choice in Common Council elections. Our new report examines the Charter Review Commission (CRC) process and more than a decade of election results. Here's what we found:
Unite NY
@unite-ny.bsky.social
A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization advocating for democracy reform in New York State that has left far too many voters feeling like their voice doesn’t matter. About Us: https://uniteny.org/about/ Volunteer: https://home.uniteny.org/volunteer
The U.S. Constitution was signed 238 years ago today. The opening phrase, “We the People” gets referred to often. But we’re thinking about the phrase that follows, “in Order to form a more perfect Union.”
Data from our latest VEI shows that support for open primaries is cross-partisan, and it’s not even close.
Independent Voter News named Unite NY one of 10 organizations independent voters should watch. Worth reading the whole list — it's a useful map of where reform energy is actually going right now. www.uniteny.org/media/unite-...
New Yorkers can vote for the people who write state law. They can't propose law themselves. No citizen ballot initiative exists here at the state level, and that shapes what reform is even possible. 🧵
Ballot access usually gets argued on fairness. There's a participation argument too, and our July VEI data makes it visible. 🧵
Familiarity with ranked choice voting in New York tracks almost exactly with where it's been implemented. That sounds obvious, but it has real consequences for how the expansion case gets made. 🧵
Meet Ian, one of our volunteers. He joined Unite NY because he saw room for improvement in how New York does politics. RCV is the reform closest to his heart, but what keeps him showing up is watching people across party lines work on this together.
Independent Voter News recently covered Unite NY's latest Voter Empowerment Index, a survey of 1,667 registered NY voters, statewide. Coverage: www.uniteny.org/media/unite-...
More than eight in ten New York voters say independent candidates should face the same signature requirement as major party candidates, or a lower one. Just 9% back a higher barrier. 🧵
Unite NY is taking the NYC clerk and Board of Elections to court. At issue: 23,000+ open primaries petition signatures the city threw out, and whether a judge will review them line by line. 🧵
In much of New York, the primary is the election that actually decides the seat. You can't vote in one unless you're registered with a party. New VEI data on how New Yorkers see that arrangement. 🧵
Our July Voter Empowerment Index surveyed 1,667 registered voters across the state of New York. 68% said they want changes to the rules governing who can run for office. 🧵
What a night! Thank you to everyone who came out in Albany on Wednesday to hear David Imamura and Amy B. Marion break down how Newburgh won ranked choice voting—and what it could mean for the Capital Region. And thanks to @fairvote.bsky.social for their support!
New York is one of a shrinking number of states with no term limits on its top officials. Governors, AGs, comptrollers, legislators—all can serve indefinitely. And plenty do, stacking up decades of seniority and the institutional power that comes with it. 🧵
LIVE NOW: Our discussion about a roadmap for RCV in Albany: www.youtube.com/live/nkqPxKS...
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Join @unite-ny.bsky.social on Wednesday, July 29 @ 6pm ET for a virtual panel discussion on the voting rights case that brought proportional #RankedChoiceVoting to Newburgh, NY. The panel features David Imamura & Amy B. Marion, lead attorneys in the case. Register⬇️ bit.ly/3RfbhAn
New statewide polling out today: 71% of New York voters feel their vote doesn't impact who ends up running the state. Not "I dislike the outcome." Closer to: the mechanism doesn't connect to the result. 🧵
ALBANY: Join us Wednesday for a discussion on Ranked Choice Voting, how it was implemented in Newburgh, and what that means for advancing RCV In the capital region! Tell a friend, and RSVP here: www.uniteny.org/events/the-n...
The Newburgh Blueprint: A Roadmap for Ranked-Choice Voting in Albany | Unite NY
Join Unite NY for an exclusive panel discussion on Wednesday, July 29, at 6:00 PM at The Argus Hotel, as we deconstruct one of the most significant voting rights victories in New York's recent history...
uniteny.org
Ballot access laws decide who appears on your ballot each election cycle. It's the most procedural-sounding part of an election and one of the most consequential—by the time you're voting, the field has already been set. NY's rules are among the most restrictive in the country. 🧵
New York runs fully closed primaries: only voters enrolled in one of four parties can vote in them. Everyone else—3.4M+ unaffiliated New York voters—is locked out. Independent voters are now the 2nd-largest voting bloc in the state. 🧵
Onondaga County just passed term limits for its county executive and comptroller. Straightforward win, right? For organizers, the real story is buried in the fight over the details — and it's a case study in how incumbency defends itself. 🧵
New York gives you one channel for policy: elect legislators and hope they move. 47 other states give voters a second one—propose laws, and put questions on the ballot directly. NY doesn't have that at the state level. The gap is worth sitting with. 🧵
Our latest Voter Empowerment Index has fresh numbers on ranked choice voting in New York—and the interesting part isn't the top line. It's what predicts support. Thread. 🧵
Last night Buffalo's Charter Revision Commission voted down a package of election reforms that would’ve given Buffalo voters election reform choices on the November ballot, including open primaries, ballot access, ranked choice voting. 🧵
New York has some of the most restrictive ballot access laws in the country—and our latest Voter Empowerment Index shows voters know it. Thread on what the data says and why it matters for organizing. 🧵
Schenectady: Join us Thursday at Mopco Improv Theater for a screening of the film Majority Rules and live improve of ranked choice voting! Free tickets available here: www.uniteny.org/events/major...
Majority Rules Screening with IMPROV | Unite NY
The Mopco Improv Theater is hosting an "Actorvist Takeover" in June and July, and Unite NY is pleased to take part.
uniteny.org
Last Thursday, Unite NY submitted 45,000+ signatures in support of a ballot question opening primaries to every registered NYC voter, regardless of party. www.uniteny.org/media/unite-... 🧵
Unite NY in the News: Open primary advocates petition to force question on ballot | Unite NY
Gothamist reported on Unite NY's campaign to bring open primaries to New York City.
uniteny.org
This weekend marks 250 years of American independence — a radical experiment built on the premise that government should answer to the people it serves. 🧵
The citizen ballot initiative has something unusual going for it in the VEI data: near-zero partisan division. Worth looking at why that matters for how you'd organize around it. 🧵