To Read More About Governor Pataki’s Reform Policies, please choose: Restoring Fiscal Responsibility Remarkable Success in Moving From Welfare to Work

Giving New Yorkers a Voice in Government:
Citizen Initiative & Referendum

Governor Pataki is a believer in freedom and a fighter for reform. Governor Pataki’s Citizen Initiative & Referendum plan calls for amending the New York State Constitution, giving hard-working New Yorkers a real voice in their government.

• Governor Pataki’s Citizen Initiative & Referendum plan gives New Yorkers a chance to make a difference in their government by allowing citizens to put issues on the general election ballot to be voted on by the public.
  
  
• Because Governor Pataki believes New Yorker’s voices should be heard on each and every level of government, his plan allows for citizen Initiative & Referendum at the state, county, city, or town level.
  
  
• The Governor’s plan also allows the State Constitution to be amended by Initiative and Referendum.

• An Initiative gives you and your fellow New Yorkers the freedom to propose new laws.
  
  
• A Referendum gives you and your fellow New Yorkers the freedom to keep or reject existing laws.
  
  
• Under the Pataki plan, as a New York State citizen, you can have an issue placed on the November General Election ballot by collecting a required number of signatures.
  
  
• Once your issue is on the ballot, New Yorkers get to vote. If the majority of the votes cast in favor of the measure – it becomes the law! This means hardworking New Yorkers, not just Albany bureaucrats, make decisions. YOU get control.