New Yorkers for Election Reform is an organisation dedicated to making major changes in the way people are elected in the Empire State.  We have already committed ourselves to supporting the following reforms:

Separate elections for Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Election of State Senators on a county-by-county basis, just as US Senators are elected on a state-by-state basis (Plan B: abolish the State Senate and expand the Assembly from 150 members to 200)

Require parties to nominate at least TWO candidates for every office, including all Party positions (for public offices, a third nomination would be made by the Board of Elections through a random lottery)

Bar candidates from having the endorsements of both the Democratic AND Republican parties

Require runoff elections in every instance where the top vote-getter receives less than a majority of total votes cast

Elect members of the Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment by direct popular vote from candidates who would be required to have NOT been enrolled in any party for at least ten consecutive years prior to election

Let alternative parties and candidates pay their way onto the ballot, thus increasing voters’ choices on Election Day

Offer all legitimate parties as enrollment choices on voter-enrollment forms

Require ALL party chairmen (State, County and City/Town) to be elected directly by the voters of their party in their jurisdiction

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Naturally, none of this will sit well with those currently in Albany, which is why they must be removed from office in order to see these reforms enacted.

The Brennan Centre for Justice at NYU Law School recently issued a report in which they show that we have the “least deliberative, most dysfunctional” state legislature in America.

How long it will remain so, is entirely up to YOU.

Unfortunately, almost all of the 200+ members of the Legislature are re-elected by landslide margins.  This is because, while most New Yorkers correctly despise the Legislature as a whole, they approve of their OWN two legislators.  So you see, the Legislature is the problem – “but MY guys are just peachy.  It’s the voters in the OTHER districts that have to throw THEIR guys out on Election Day!”  And since, in every district other than the one you live in, people are waiting for YOU to vote out YOUR two state legislators, everybody re-elects THEIR guys – and nothing ever changes in Albany!

The sooner you realise that YOUR legislators are every bit as much a part of New York’s problem as their 210 counterparts – and resolve to vote them out of office – the better off we’ll ALL be.

All you need to do is (1) find out who misrepresents you in the State Senate and in the Assembly, (2) find out who their opponents will be in the November election, and (3) vote for those opponents.

We’re not asking you to change your intended vote in the Presidential race (or any other election the outcome of which will affect major issues).  What we ARE asking you to do is set aside, for only two races in one election year, any differences you may have with the candidates challenging your current state legislators.  If enough of us vote for the challengers, almost none of the incumbents will be re-elected this year.  Both houses of the Legislature would be controlled by freshman legislators.

If you cannot bring yourself to vote for your legislators’ opponents, then you can simply NOT VOTE FOR ANYONE for State Senate and Assembly when you go to the polls.  But for the sake of New York, you cannot allow yourself to pull the levers for the two incompetents you have in office now.