NYC term limits law in hands of voters

Mayor Michael Bloomberg angered many New Yorkers when he hastily had the term-limits law changed so he could run for a third term, and now they get a chance to decide how long their elected officials should serve.

Tuesday's ballot asks New Yorkers to check "yes" or "no" on two questions. One is about term limits, and the other deals with changes in campaign spending law, ballot access and conflicts-of-interest rules.

In 2008, Bloomberg persuaded the City Council to extend the term limits law, which barred him from running for a third time. He argued that his financial expertise, as a former chief executive and founder of the financial information company Bloomberg L.P., was crucial to helping the city weather the economic storm.

The mayor promised he would later appoint a commission to put the issue to voters. That panel began its work last spring.

It came up with a question that asks voters whether the city's Charter should be amended to give officeholders two terms.

If voters say yes, the law will change. If they reject it, the three-term limit will stand.

Before Bloomberg changed the law, voters twice approved a two-term limit in the 1990s.

Observers predict low participation in the ballot questions because they are printed on the back of the ballots, and voters may not know to turn them over.

The commission that reviewed the charter also put a second question on the ballot with seven bullet points.

Among them are a proposal to reduce the number of petition signatures candidates need to get on the ballot, and a measure that requires greater public disclosure of campaign spending made by organizations and individuals independent of candidates.

Voters must vote yes or no on all seven points.

As of late afternoon Tuesday, City Hall in New York didn't reveal the size of the voter turnout. But a spokesman for Bloomberg said that the city's 311 telephone line, which handles non-emergency complaints, recorded thousands of election-related calls.

The calls included queries on finding a poll site (2,386), election information and voter registration (939), voting ballot or machine complaint (365), poll site complaint (337), poll worker complaint (80).

Board of Election officials were unavailable for comment.

With Anthony M. DeStefano