On the ballot this year are six initiatives that voters can approve of or reject. Here’s a quick look at each.

Proposal 1: Authorizing Casino Gambling:

This proposal seeks to allow the creation of up to seven casinos in New York State, three of which will be in New York City after seven years.

Proposal 2: Additional Civil Service Credit for Veterans With Disabilities

This proposal states that any veteran who has taken the civil service exam and afterwards becomes disabled should be awarded additional credit on top of the credit they already received for the exam because they are veterans.

Proposal 3: Exclusion of Indebtedness Contracted for Sewage Facilities

This proposal suggests that the ability of counties, towns, villages, and cities to exclude from their constitutional debt limit any debt acquired from the construction or reconstruction of sewage facilities should be extended by 10 years to Jan. 1, 2024.

Proposal 4:  Settling Disputed Title in the Forest Preserve

This amendment is an effort to cease disputations of the ownership of land parcels in the forest preserve at Long Lake, Hamilton County between the state and private parties, that the state give up claims to the land parcels and in return, the state will receive other land for the forest preserve.

Proposal 5: A Land Exchange in the State Forest Preserve with NYCO Minerals, Inc.

This proposed amendment to section 1 of article 14 would allow the state to give NYCO Minerals 200 acres of land from the state forest preserve, which they would use for mining. In exchange for this, NYCO would give the state at least the same amount of land of at least the same value for the state to add to the forest preserve. When NYCO Minerals is done mining, they would return the land they used restored to its original condition to the state for the forest preserve.

 Proposal 6: Increasing Age Limits for Judges

This proposal would allow certain state judges to serve until the age of 80.

–Michael Brown Jr.