Overview

Read on for some statistics and insights about the level of civic engagement, political engagement and a “state of the state” overview of New York.

 

 

Civic and Political Engagement

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service for 2018:

  • 25.3% of residents volunteer, ranking them 48th among the 50 states and Washington, DC.
  • 4,012,580 volunteers
  • 295.4 million hours of service
  • $7.1 billion worth of service contributed

Looking at political engagement specifically, according to this 2018 Wallethub.com study, New York ranks #44 based on a weighted average across the following metrics:

  • Percentage of Registered Voters in the 2016 Presidential Election
  • Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2014 Midterm Elections
  • Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2016 Presidential Election
  • Change in Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2016 Elections Compared with the 2012 Elections
  • Total Political Contributions per Adult Population
  • Civic Education Engagement, CIRCLE
  • Voter Accessibility Policies, Ballotpedia

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Center for Responsive Politics, Ballotpedia and Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, CIRCLE.

 

Women in New York Politics

As of 2018, there are 45 women legislators in the New York State Assembly and 15 in the New York State Senate – for a total of 60 out of 213 seats. This equals 28.2% of the legislature (Source: NCSL).

See how many women serve in New York’s executive offices here.

New York ranks 1st in women’s equality – based on workplace environment (pay, unemployment and entrepreneurship rate disparity), education environment (education levels and math and reading scores), and political empowerment (disparity in elected offices) (Source: Wallethub).

 

What color is New York?

New York held the most electoral votes from 1812 until the 1972 election, when California became the nation’s most populous state. It now has 29 votes. According to 270towin, “Like many other Northeastern states, New York’s electoral clout has diminished in recent years. In fact it has lost 2 or more electoral votes after the last 7 Censuses. Texas surpassed New York in electoral votes in 2004, and Florida will almost certainly do so after the next Census. New York has been primarily a “blue” state ever since the Great Depression, only siding with a losing Republican when it chose its then-current governor Thomas E. Dewey over Harry S. Truman in 1948. In 2016, Hillary Clinton easily defeated Donald Trump by 22% in the state.”

 

State of the State

State Government Structure

Like the majority of American state legislatures, the New York state legislature is bicameral.  The lower chamber is the New York State Assembly, and the upper is the New York State Senate.

There are 150 members of the Assembly.  The Senate has a varying number of members. The New York Constitution provides that the default membership be fifty members. However, it provides that if any county would by virtue of its population be entitled to more than three Senators, then the first three Senators would count towards the limit of fifty, while the remainder would be in addition to the fifty. Currently, there are twelve additional Senators (who are in terms of legislative power equal to any other Senators), making the total membership sixty-two.

Each Assembly member represents an average of 129,187 residents, as of the 2010 Census. Each Senator represents an average of 312,550 residents, as of the 2010 Census. Both Assembly members and Senators serve two-year terms without term limits (Ballotpedia).

After the 2018 elections, New York became a Democratic state government trifecta, meaning that one political party (in this case the Democratic party) holds the governorship, majority in the state senate, and majority in the state house.

 

 

Budget process

New York operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:

  • Budget instruction guidelines are sent to state agencies in July or August.
  • State agencies submit budget requests in September.
  • Agency hearings are held in October and November.
  • The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the New York State Legislature on or before the second Tuesday following the first day of the annual meeting of the legislature, which typically falls in mid-January.
  • The legislature adopts a budget in March. A simple majority is needed to pass a budget.
  • The fiscal year begins in April.

New York is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.

The governor is constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget. In turn, the legislature is required by statute to pass a balanced budget (Ballotpedia).

 

Business Climate

A 2018 CNBC study ranks New York #27 in terms of overall business climate:

 

 

Freedom

New York ranks 50th in Cato Institute’s 2018 Freedom in the 50 states.  The overall freedom ranking is a combination of personal and economic freedoms.

 

Additional Resources

  • PEW Fiscal 50: State Trends and Analysis
  • PEW Women in Leadership  – see analysis of women in leadership on a national scale
  • National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) Fiscal Survey of States
  • Compare 50 – pick what stats you want to compare with what states here
  • State Data Lab – compare a variety of factors among states here
  • Freedom in the 50 States 2018  – Cato
  • Tax Foundation facts and figures app is available for download

 

What You Can Do

As detailed above, New Yorkers have expansive potential for engaging in civic-minded and fiscally responsible activity. By forming Policy Circles across the state, women can lead the way in ensuring that policies are working and responding to individual needs at the local level.

Here’s what you can do:   

  • Click “It’s easy, start now” at www.thepolicycircle.org  to start a circle in your area.
  • Read our “Year of Conversation” for an overview of policy briefs on key issues affecting the country and your state.
  • Connect with Empire Center and Reclaim New York,  your state think tanks and best resources for state level information on key policy issues.
  • Tell a friend or family member about The Policy Circle by sending them to www.thepolicycircle.org. Any woman who believes in the power of free markets to unleash human creativity can start a Policy Circle in her area.