Editorial Board

Question: Shall there be a convention to revise the Constitution and amend the same?

Answer: Yes.

If you are a New York state voter, this is the question you will face at the polls on Nov. 7 -- along with the answer we suggest you give.

Proposal 1 on the back of the ballot -- the opportunity to hold a Constitutional Convention --won’t come around again for another 20 years. This November, therefore, offers a rare chance for the people to do what New York state government has proven itself utterly incapable of doing. Fed-up New Yorkers can take a stab at reforming Albany.

There is no question that change is badly needed in state government. The unknown, however, is whether opening the state’s Constitution will bring about positive change, or simply make matters worse. We believe the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks, and that voters, themselves, can safeguard against disaster. This is as close as it gets to “by the people, for the people.”

There is no predetermined convention agenda, so if voters agree to revise the Constitution, the delegates they select could literally go back and start from scratch. But, whatever the delegates decide to do to the Constitution, their proposed revisions must still get the okay from the voting public.

The best outcomes from the Convention could include:

Term limits for state lawmakers so their end goal is not reelection.

Creation of a full-time legislature to eliminate influences connected to outside employment.

An independent process for realigning legislative districts to eliminate gerrymandering.

Reform of the state’s court system, which is so inefficient that a special state commission found that more than $500 million is wasted every year.

A provision to prohibit unfunded mandates on localities and school districts.

A more transparent budget process.

We could go on, but you get the picture. The New York State Bar Association and good government groups are among those hoping for this type of reform. This is truly the way to clean up one of the most corrupt governments in our country.

Opponents to the Constitutional Convention tend to focus on hot button topics. They come from both sides of the divide on issues like reproductive rights, gun control, and land use and development. Educators are worried they might lose their public pensions.

More: Eight misconceptions about the Constitutional Convention

More: What is the Constitutional Convention all about?

These are legitimate concerns, and we hope that the delegates would be wise enough to separate the proposed changes, so voters could vote their conscience on each one. Otherwise, the whole exercise would be a waste of time, as it was in 1967, when voters were asked to pick all or nothing. No improvements were made.

Opponents also point to the likelihood that special interests and politicians would be most likely to serve as delegates, which would be like filling the hen house with foxes. We expect that ordinary citizens are so disgusted with Albany, and technology makes participation easier than ever, that the people will come out in force to take part. If not, they still can vote NO to the proposed changes and maintain the status quo.

Without a convention, however, we'll simply spend the next two decades wondering what might have been.