Background: In 2017 New Yorkers will vote November 7th on Proposition 1. Voters will need to turn over the ballot in order to vote, yes or no.

Run as a New York State Constitutional Convention Delegate

Are you tired of living in a broken democracy? Angered by corruption and unethical government? Are you ready to write the next chapter in New York State history? If the voters approve of holding a state constitutional convention, two hundred and four New Yorkers will have the chance to campaign as a New York State Constitutional Convention delegate and lead the way in strengthening the integrity of our political institutions and reforming our broken 20th-century voting and electoral systems.

New York needs you.

We need motivated, collaborative, and innovative New Yorkers to run for office. build a democracy worthy of its promise at the constitutional convention in 2019. Anyone who is eligible to vote in the state of New York can run for delegate. If you are interested in kickstarting your political career or simply think your voice and experience represent the New York electorate, now is the time to begin your campaign and diversify New York’s political playing field.

Political participation in the New York State Constitutional Convention a right, not a privilege.

Are you passionate about fair elections, more effective court systems, and stronger local government? At Citizens Union, we focus on election reform, judicial reform, and holding our government accountable to ethical standards, but we are excited to see what you, our civic-minded colleagues, would like to bring to the table. Delegates at past constitutional conventions have worked to bring about considerable changes in New York. State constitutional conventions across the United States have created term limits for state office holders, recognized workers’ rights to strike, established a minimum wage and a workers compensation system (this happened more than 50 years ago though), approved the use of voting machines, and increased protection for state forest land.

Come up with real solutions in creating a better New York.

1967 was the last time New York held a constitutional convention. The 186 delegates did not come close to representing the diversity of New Yorkers at the time, and certainly not modern day New Yorkers. The constitutional convention is the perfect platform for diversifying the pool of elected officials that usually run for office. Thirty-three delegates in the 1967 convention had no previous governmental experience. In fact, the body of delegates included a farmer, a clergyman, a UN official, four media professionals, and five professors. The chance for a convention is your chance to make sure that the convention is representative of all New Yorkers. Run as a delegate and make the 2017 New York State Constitutional Convention a true assembly of the people.

Are you ready to run for elected office?

Registering to run as a delegate for the convention works just like running for any local office. You will need to put together a team of supporters and file as a political committee with the State Board of Elections. Then you go out and collect enough signatures so that you can officially run as a delegate! If you are running as an independent candidate, you need up to 3000 signatures, depending on your district, which is a higher number of signatures than required for those running on an established party primary ballot. While this is unfair, it is a prime example of the type of election reform that can occur with a constitutional convention! New Yorkers need to be at the table and not on the plate.

A better New York is in your hands! Run as a delegate and make 2017 the year that New Yorkers take the Constitution and transform it into a contract of, by, and for the people of New York.