NYS Constitutional Convention Toolkit

No Constitutional Convention Talking points for Seniors

No ConCon Talking points for seniors

Many reasons to vote NO on the proposal to hold a New York State Constitutional Convention that will be on this November’s ballot:

Too costly – estimates vary from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of dollars – money that could be better spent;
Likely that the convention would be run by the same old political insiders, who already game the system or worse;
There is already a process for constitutional amendments in place and it works;
Too many rights and protections that many of us take for granted could be at risk in a constitutional convention;

Particular concerns for seniors of rights and protections at risk in a New York Constitutional Convention:

Right to an absentee ballot, which seniors use more than younger voters;
Protection from age discrimination at a time when about a third of the population between 65 and 75 are in the workforce;
Eight-hour workday and minimum wage protections could be lost;
State constitution ensures public relief for the indigent and aged along with standards and oversight for residents of nursing facilities;
Defined Benefit Public Employee pensions could be adversely affected. This would not simply affect pension beneficiaries, it could also have unintended consequences that cost taxpayers. Currently more than 80 percent of public employee retirees continue to live and pay taxes in New York and public pensions contribute over $35 billion to the NYS economy and over $4 billion in tax revenue. Diminishing benefits could both affect taxes collected and drive up social safety net costs as seniors struggle to make ends meet.

No one should take rights and protections for granted. Mobilize family, friends and neighbors to vote NO on ConCon this November

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