Strong Demand for Reforms Such as Term Limits
Nearly 80 percent of unaffiliated voters in New York think the state is moving in the wrong direction and the desire for reforms, especially in New York City suburbs, is sky high according to the latest research from the independent organization Unite NY. For the past 18 months Unite has been measuring voter sentiment towards reform via the organization’s Voter Empowerment Index (VEI).
The latest VEI surveyed 800 New Yorkers this summer and found 78% of independent and nonpartisan voters think the state is headed in the wrong direction, which is 25 points higher than the overall electorate, which found 53% of all voters think the state is headed in the wrong direction. Overall, 40% of voters say they are considering leaving the state. The poll found New Yorkers have consistently supported key reforms which will give more power to voters. Support for these reforms include term limits for Governor (80% support), term limits for the State Legislature (80% support) citizen ballot initiatives (72% support) open primaries (58% support).
Unite NY Executive Director Tim Dunn said, “Independent and unaffiliated New Yorkers are clearly frustrated with the state of democracy in New York and the path to winning back these voters lies in enacting reforms that have overwhelming, bipartisan support.”
Other key findings in the VEI included bad news for Governor Hochul, whose approval rating is underwater, with 40% holding a favorable opinion, versus 46% who do not. Meanwhile the New York State legislature’s approval rating is abysmal, with just 27% of voters holding a positive opinion of the state’s lawmakers, contrasted with 49% who disapprove of the job that is being done.
While the findings are tough, the good news is that 37% of respondents believe that politics in New York are fixable and 54% of participants said they would attend a cross-partisan event to talk about issues with those who have different opinions.The entire survey is available on the Unite NY website at:
https://uniteny.org/voter-index/
