NYPEOPLESCONVENTION.ORG THE NEW YORK CONSTITUTION OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2017 3
Movement for Constitutional
Convention Sweeps New York State
BY RUSH PEREZ
A powerful grassroots movement is
sweeping the state for a “YES” vote
on the Constitutional Convention
ballot referendum that New York voters
will decide when they go to the polls on
November 7th, 2017.
From Brooklyn to Buffalo and the
Southern Tier to St. Lawrence County,
New Yorkers across the political spectrum
are banding together to take back power
from the dysfunctional state government
in Albany and return it to the people by
holding a Constitutional Convention.
“I am excited about the Convention, because
this represents a hopeful moment,”
said Tyrone Heppard, a citizen journalist
and resident of Syracuse. “Th is is a moment,
whether you’re conservative or liberal, that
we have an opportunity to make a fundamental
change to our system for the better.”
Th e Constitutional Convention referendum
is mandated by the state’s Constitution,
which requires that every 20 years
New York voters answer the question,
“Shall there be a convention to revise the
Constitution and amend the same?” 2017
marks the twentieth year since the last
time New Yorkers were asked to make this
important decision.
Some New Yorkers believe the outpouring
of enthusiasm this year for the
Constitutional Convention is a response
to the ongoing epidemic of corruption that
has plagued the capital for over a decade.
Since 2000, over 40 elected offi cials have
either been arrested for public corruption,
gotten in trouble for abuse of power, or been
shamed into resignation, including former
Governor Eliot Spitzer, former State Comptroller
Alan Hevesi, the last fi ve leaders of
the New York State Senate, and the previous
speaker of the State Assembly, Shelly Silver.
“We have not seen Albany address the
pressing issues facing our state when it
comes to transparency and judicial reform,”
said Larry Rubin, a “YES” vote supporter
from Buff alo. “Th e history of New York
State shows that a Constitutional Convention
is the best method to make this type
of change.”
A YES vote volunteer knocks on doors in Manhattan to spread the word about the Constitutional Convention.
Joining this people-powered movement
are many of the state’s most respected and
infl uential good government organizations,
such as Citizens Union and the League of
Women Voters of New York State, as well
as new groups that have sprung up specifically
to advocate for a “YES” vote, like NY
People’s Convention and Committee for a
Constitutional Convention.
Among the other reform-minded
organizations allied in this eff ort are the
New York State and New York City Bar
Associations, the National Action Network,
the Reform Party of New York, NYC Independence
Clubs, Th e Black Institute, and
Forward March NY, a group which played
a leading role in mounting the massive
NYC Women’s March in January.
While each organization has its own
specifi c reasons for supporting a “YES”
vote, all are united by the certainty that
Albany is incapable of reforming itself
and either unable or unwilling to extricate
itself from the iron grip of the lobbyists and
special interests that control it, to pass
amendments in the best interest of the
people of New York, whether they pertain
to stronger ethics laws, enhanced environmental
protections, term limits for Albany
politicians, expanded voting rights, equal
rights for all, criminal justice reform, more
robust protections for labor, court reform,
or greater equity in education funding.
Amber Sexton, a New York City-based
activist affi liated with Forward March NY,
explained that the reason she is so fi red up
about the Constitutional Convention is
that it will empower women. “Th is Convention
is an opportunity for the majority
of the state’s population—women—to have
a real say in how our state governs,” said
Sexton, pointing out that a mere seven
women in total served as delegates to the
New York State Constitutional Conventions
of 1894 and 1938, which largely wrote
the state Constitution in its current form.
Peggy Eason, a now retired, past president
of CSEA Local 259, who made history
as the fi rst blind person in New York
State to be elected the leader of a union
local, explained that her passion for the
Convention arose from the opportunity
to fi nally enshrine equal rights for people
with disabilities in the Constitution. “My
whole reason for being involved is that people
with disabilities are not even addressed
in the Constitution,” said Eason. “Now is
the time to make this change. People with
disabilities cannot wait any longer!”
Eason is one of legions of New Yorkers
who will be spending their time between
now and Election Day educating their
neighbors about the upcoming referendum,
volunteering to making calls, and knocking
on doors to get out the vote. If they are
successful in getting a “YES” vote, these
motivated citizens will then turn around
and pour their energy into electing delegates
for a truly populist Constitutional
Convention—a People’s Convention.
Following a “YES” vote, in 2018 New
Yorkers will return to the polls to select
the Convention’s 204 delegates, who will
be elected from every corner of the state.
Every New York voter will be eligible to
be a candidate—a singular opportunity
to change the state for the better that has
activists, teachers, small business people,
farmers, and seniors alike thrilled by the
prospect of being part of history.
“I think it’s exciting! We have a chance
to be a new generation of founding fathers
in this state,” said Ruthie Yankwitt, a high
school senior who will be voting for the
fi rst time this November. “I think that
young people oft en don’t have a voice in
politics, and that this Co nvention is an opportunity
for us to be involved in a unique
and impactful way.”
New York Says Yes bumper stickers are springing up all over the state.