This Election Day, New Yorkers will not only be voting for candidates, but will also vote on four ballot proposals.

Three of the proposals are city proposals to create a statement of values and vision for the government, establish a racial equity office, and define how the cost of living is calculated. The fourth is a statewide proposal to increase spending in Albany on future environment-related projects. More information and the proposal language can be found below and in this news article.

Ballot Proposals:

• Proposal #1) Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environment Bond Act

  • To address and combat the impact of climate change and damage to the environment , the “Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022” authorizes the sale of state bonds up to four billion two hundred million dollars to fund environmental protection, natural restoration, resiliency, and clean energy projects. Shall the Environmental Bond Act of 2022 be approved?

• Proposal #2) Add a Statement of Values to Guide Government

  • This proposal would amend the New York City Charter to: Add a preamble, which would be an introductory statement of values and vision aspiring toward “a just and equitable city for all” New Yorkers; and Include in the preamble a statement that the City must strive to remedy “past and continuing harms and to reconstruct, revise, and reimagine our foundations, structures, institutions, and laws to promote justice and equity for all New Yorkers.” The preamble is intended to guide City government in fulfilling its duties. Shall this proposal be adopted?

• Proposal #3) Establish a Racial Equity Office, Plan, and Commission

  • This proposal would amend the City Charter to: Require citywide and agency-specific Racial Equity Plans every two years. The plans would include intended strategies and goals to improve racial equity and to reduce or eliminate racial disparities; Establish an Office of Racial Equity and appoint a Chief Equity Officer to advance racial equity and coordinate the City’s racial equity planning process . The Office would support City agencies in improving access to City services and programs for those people and communities who have been negatively affected by previous policies or actions , and collect and report data related to equity; and Establish a Commission on Racial Equity, appointed by City elected officials. In making appointments to this Commission, elected officials would be required to consider appointees who are representative of or have experience advocating for a diverse range of communities. The Commission would identify and propose priorities to inform the racial equity planning process and review agency and citywide Racial Equity Plans. Shall this proposal be adopted?

• Proposal #4) Measure the True Cost of Living

  • This proposal would amend the City Charter to: Require the City to create a “true cost of living” measure to track the actual cost in New York City of meeting essential needs, including housing, food, childcare, transportation, and other necessary costs, and without considering public, private, or informal assistance, in order to inform programmatic and policy decisions; and Require the City government to report annually on the “true cost of living” measure. Shall this proposal be adopted?