by Diane Tabakman

Did you know that an Equal Rights Amendment to the New York State Constitution will be on the ballot in 2024?   In 2022 and 2023, the State legislature passed a constitutional amendment that creates new protections against discrimination based on a person’s ethnicity, national origin, disability, age and sex – including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy.  Since it passed twice in the legislature, NYS voters will be able to vote on the measure in November 2024. 
 
The League of Women Voters of NYS (LWVNYS) has joined a coalition of organizations supporting the increased protections for New Yorkers provided by this amendment. In addition, LWVNYS has organized a Task Force that meets monthly to share information with local leagues about efforts to coordinate education on this issue. You can expect to hear more about the amendment and how to spread the word after the 2023 election. 
 
In the meantime, if you are registering voters, you can remind them to always turn over the ballot. In fact, there are two propositions on this November’s ballot related to indebtedness for sewage construction projects and debt limits for small city school districts.