The Campaign Finance Board today announced the publication of its official New York City Voter Guide for the 2010 Charter Revision ballot questions. Beginning today, approximately 3.2 million households will receive a copy of the Voter Guide by mail and an interactive Guide has been posted on the CFB website.
The New York City Voter Guide is the leading source of information on the 2010 Charter Revision ballot questions, and is published by the Campaign Finance Board as part of its voter education mandate. All editions of the Guide provides plain language summaries for each of the two ballot proposal questions, a summary of the major arguments for and against each question, and excerpts of “Pro” and “Con” statements submitted by the public. The Guide also contains general information about voting, including guidance to help voters understand how to use the new paper ballots introduced this year.
Local editions of this year’s Voter Guide will be sent to registered voters in Council Districts #28 (Queens) and #44 (Brooklyn). In addition to covering the Charter Revision questions, these local editions include information about the Council race being held in each district. Each candidate had the opportunity, free of charge, to submit a profile, including biographical information and answers to questions about their platforms, along with a photo. No matter which office a candidate seeks, or how much money that candidate has raised, all candidates in the Guide are on an equal footing, receiving the same amount of space in the Guide.
The Voter Guide is the cornerstone of the CFB’s comprehensive voter education program. Since 1989, the CFB has produced and mailed the nonpartisan Guide to registered voters in the five boroughs before each local primary and general election, using voter registration data obtained from the City Board of Elections. All households receive an English/Spanish guide; targeted households in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens receive a supplemental Chinese or Chinese/Korean edition, consistent with the federal Voting Rights Act.
WEB GUIDE AVAILABLE
For voters seeking information online, the CFB posts an interactive version of the Voter Guide on its website at www.nyccfb.info/VoterGuide. The online Guide covers the Charter Revision ballot questions and the two City Council races, and provides links to other non-partisan sources of information for the 2010 General Election. Links allow visitors to e-mail campaigns and view PDFs of the Guide in Spanish, Chinese, and Korean as well as other sites of interest.