Mayor Adams Misleads New Yorkers On Ballot Proposal Results

New York, NY - Today, in response to Mayor Adam’s misleading statement after New York ballot proposal results were reported, No Power Grab NYC issued ballot results analysis showing that the mayor’s proposals (Proposals 2-6) performed poorly in comparison to all other New York City ballot proposals in the past 15 years. Proposal 6 was rejected by voters and Proposals 2-5 passed with the narrowest margins in at least 15 years. 
 
“Mayor Adams continues to mislead New Yorkers or he can’t count,” said No Power Grab NYC spokesperson, Joo-Hyun Kang. “The only ballot proposal to pass “overwhelmingly” was the statewide anti-discrimination proposal, Prop 1. One of the mayor’s proposals was straight-out rejected by NYC voters and the other four passed by the narrowest margins of any NYC ballot proposals in at least 15 years. More New Yorkers voted against these dangerous proposals than the number of New Yorkers who voted for Eric Adams as mayor in 2021. 
 
“To pass Props 2-5, Mayor Adams and his commission used deceptive and confusing ballot language to con New Yorkers into damaging our city’s system of governance, giving him and future mayors more unchecked power, and creating unprecedented special rights for two of the most opaque and unaccountable agencies in NYC – allowing the Dept of Corrections and NYPD to block accountability for corrupt and violent officers and obstruct attempts to reduce officer violence. All of this moves NYC in the wrong direction.
 
“While we’re disappointed that all five of the mayor’s dangerous proposals weren’t rejected, the message to take away is that New Yorkers are catching on to the mayor’s scams. Props 2-5 passed (narrowly) only because this was a high turnout year with the presidential election, and the mayor slapped these proposals onto the ballot with misleading and deceptive language at the last-moment, after the most rushed, undemocratic charter review process in two decades. The mayor cynically relied on the fact that NYC voters tend to approve ballot measures and the reality that many voters would not have heard about Props 2-6 before entering the voting booth. These are Trumpian tactics and Mayor Adams should be ashamed. We’re proud of the seven-week, grassroots campaign we ran with our coalition of 60 organizations and 50 elected officials - who successfully convinced close to a million New Yorkers across the city to vote against Props 2-6.” 

Please find statements in response to election night results for ballot Proposals 2-6, from No Power Grab NYC members, here.
 
Analysis of Last 15 Years of NYC Ballot Proposals
 
2024 Ballot Proposals (Unofficial NYC BOE Election Night Results with 97.63% of scanners reporting)
Prop 1 (statewide) Amendment to Protect Against Unequal Treatment: Yes: 1,770,259 (77.66%); No: 509,275 (22.34%)
 
The following were NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ charter revision proposals:
Prop 2, “Cleaning Public Property”- Yes: 1,379,201 (61.74%); No: 854,716 (38.26%)
Prop 3, "Additional Estimates of the Cost of Proposed Laws and Updates to Budget Deadlines" - Yes: 1,215,052 (55.71%); No: 966,004 (44.29%)
Prop 4, "More Notice & time Before Votes on Public Safety"- Yes: 1,245,062 (57.07%); No: 936,608 (42.93%)
Prop 5, "Capital Planning" - Yes: 1,251,358 (57.77%); No: 914,609 (42.23%)
Prop 6, MWBEs, Film Permits & Archive Review Boards - Yes: 1,025,096 (47.36%); No: 1,139,546 (52.64%)
 
2022 Ballot Proposals
Statement of Values to Guide Government - Yes: 1,090,018 (72%); No: 414,966 (28%)
Establish Racial Equity Office, Plan and Commission- Yes: 1,047,724 (70%); No: 450,319 (30%)
Measure True Cost of Living - Yes: 1,225,718 (81%); No: 284,806 (19%)
 
2019 Ballot Proposals
Elections Proposal - Yes: 510,153 (74%); No: 182,900 (26%)
Civilian Complaint Review Board Proposal - Yes: 510,949 (75%); No: 173,368 (25%)
Ethics and Governance Proposal - Yes: 520,656 (77%); No: 151,271 (23%)
City Budget Proposal - Yes: 477,328 (71%); No: 193,200 (29%)
Land Use Proposal - Yes: 505,926 (76%); No: 155,658 (24%)
 
2018 Ballot Proposals
Campaign Finance - Yes: 1,254,962 (80%); No: 306,198 (20%)
Civic Engagement Commission Proposal - Yes: 1,015,971 (66%); No: 525,343 (34%)
Community Boards- Yes: 1,121,602 (73%); No: 423,544 (27%)
 
2010 Ballot Proposals 
Term Limits - Yes: 733,858 (74%); No: 257,001 (26%)
Elections & Government Administration - Yes: 731,152 (84%); No: 144,364 (16%)
 
Background: 
No Power Grab NYC is a grassroots, community-led campaign of more than 60 local and national civil rights and community groups from every background and borough – who joined with 50 city, state and federal elected officials from across the city to defend democracy at the ballot this November. The coalition called on New Yorkers to vote “No” on Proposals 2-6 - the dangerous, undemocratic proposals that came out of Mayor Adams’ sham charter revision process. 
 
In May, just two months before the deadline to place charter changes on the ballot, Mayor Eric Adams hastily convened a charter revision commission to kick City Council legislation off the ballot. Every person appointed to the committee was one of the mayor’s staunchest allies, including his top political supporters, donors and lobbyists with pending business before the city. The language of the proposals was deceptive and misleadingly crafted to seem harmless, but Props 2-6 make major changes to New York City’s Charter - the equivalent to a constitution - that will give the current and future mayors more unchecked power, weaken checks-and-balances, and make it harder for the city to deliver for New Yorkers. 
 
From mid-September 2024 to Election Day, No Power Grab NYC held over 100 actions including rallies at City Hall with elected officials, including voter education events in subway stations, virtual town halls, canvasses, social media days, and more.  
 
On election night, props 2-5 passed with the narrowest margins in the last 15 years, with prop 6 being rejected. More New Yorkers voted against these dangerous proposals than the number of New Yorkers who voted for Eric Adams as mayor in 2021. 
 
For more information about the No Power Grab NYC campaign visit https://www.nopowergrabnyc.org/.
For a full list of all coalition members and elected officials who endorsed the Vote No on Props 2-6 effort, visit:https://www.nopowergrabnyc.org/about-us.