Giving voters a greater voice in their government is the goal of legislation the state senate has approved that authorizes a constitutional amendment (S.1370) allowing voters to enact and amend laws through initiative and referendum.

Initiative and referendum is one of the most powerful reform tools in politics because it gives the people the ability to make informed decisions to directly change the powers and priorities of their government. It gives people the power to directly decide on ideas that have strong public support, yet have not been acted on by their state or local governments.

The proposal would amend the state constitution to allow for direct initiative and referendum, whereby measures are placed on the ballot at the November general election for a popular vote after a certain number of signatures are collected. Under the proposal, signatures from five percent of the total voters statewide in the last gubernatorial election would be required. To ensure that a measure has a broad base of statewide support, the signatures would be required to include at least 5,000 signatures of residents from at least three-fifths of the state's congressional districts.

If government is truly the voice of the people, then it just makes sense that voters should have a more direct say in how their government operates and works for them. New Yorkers want more power over their public policy decisions, and this legislation will enable and empower them to do just that.

Initiative and referendum represents the very core of democracy - ensuring that all people have a voice in the democratic process. It is an idea grounded in the belief that power ultimately rests in the hands of the people. The proposal continues my commitment to ensure that the voices of all New Yorkers are heard.

Several political parties have weighed in to support the bill. The Conservative and Independence Parties of New York State have expressed their endorsement of the measure, arguing that by offering voters the chance to have a direct voice in state and local government, more people will become interested and involved in the affairs of their governments.