1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

New York should embrace direct democracy by enacting Senate Bill S7009 to provide for initiative, referendum, and recall, adding New York to the majority of states that already have forms of direct democracy in place. This measure would empower citizens to propose new laws, approve or reject existing statutes, and remove elected officials through a robust petitioning process. With clear safeguards in place, such as requiring signatures from a significant portion of the electorate and supermajority approval across most counties, this bill strikes a reasonable balance between expanding political participation while preventing abuse. No single region could impose its will, and frivolous measures could be rejected at the ballot box. At its core, S7009 recognizes that the people affected by laws should have a voice in enacting or rejecting them. It enables New Yorkers to bypass special interests and partisan gridlock when their elected representatives fail to address pressing concerns. Empowering citizens with these direct democratic tools promotes accountability and responsiveness in government. In an era of low trust in public institutions, measures like S7009 can help rebuild faith by giving citizens a greater stake in self-governance. For a robust, participatory democracy that puts New York in line with most other states, I urge you to support this overdue bill to provide for statewide initiative, referendum, and recall.