Unite NY Voter Empowerment Index Shows Strong Support for Election Reforms in New York

New York citizens continue to express frustration with state government, but strong majorities remain committed to common-sense reforms that would give them more voice and more choices in elections, according to Unite NY’s latest Voter Empowerment Index (VEI), released today.

The September 2025 VEI shows support for Unite NY’s reform priorities, including term limits, open primaries, ranked choice voting, citizen ballot initiatives, and better ballot access.

Among the key findings:

• 67% of respondents think state leaders are not prioritizing their top issues (32% say they are).
• 66% think that New York’s political system is “not healthy” (32% say it is healthy)
• 71% of respondents think that New York’s political system problems are fixable (21% say they are not).
• Reform has strong, bipartisan support.
  • 84% support term limits on statewide elected officials (6% oppose), 84% support term limits for members of the legislature (7% oppose);
  • 58% support non partisan or open primaries (29% oppose)
  • 44% support ranked choice voting; (35% oppose)
  • 69% support giving citizens the right to place issues directly on the ballot through a petition process (13% oppose)

“Unite NY’s Voter Empowerment Index shows strong support across New York state for reforms that would put more power in the hands of voters, through popular reforms including term limits, ranked choice voting and open primaries,” Unite NY Interim Executive Director Tim Hoefer said. “If policymakers want to rebuild trust, the first step is listening to the people.”

Unite NY’s VEI, an independent, nonpartisan poll launched in 2022 to track voter sentiment on political reforms, has become a trusted resource for gauging how everyday New Yorkers feel about democracy across the Empire State. 

For more information on Unite NY’s reform agenda and to view the full VEI report, visit www.UniteNY.org/voter_index 

About Unite NY
Unite NY is an organization dedicated to giving voters more voice and more choice in New York elections. By advancing common-sense reforms like open primaries, term limits, and ballot initiatives, Unite NY seeks to build a stronger, fairer, and more accountable democracy for all New Yorkers.