BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Beyond the candidates on the ballot, Buffalo voters will also decide on 11 proposed changes to the City of Buffalo Charter.
A sample ballot shows the 11 charter questions take up about a third of the front of the ballot and the entire back.
The City Charter essentially serves as the rulebook for Buffalo city government, outlining how it operates and what it can and cannot do.
Laurence Rubin, chairman of the City of Buffalo Charter Revision Commission, said the proposals allow residents to have a say in how their local government operates.
“It's important because it's giving the citizens of Buffalo an opportunity to speak about their constitution, their local constitution,” Rubin said.
WATCH: Buffalo voters to decide 11 proposed city charter changes
The Buffalo Common Council created the Charter Revision Commission and held public hearings to discuss and fine-tune the proposed changes.
Rubin said many of the questions examined by the commission were prompted by issues that surfaced when Chris Scanlon took over as acting mayor following Byron Brown's departure.
“There were issues like, is he really the acting mayor or just has the powers of a mayor, and what happened to his council seat,” Rubin said.
But the proposed changes go well beyond questions surrounding mayoral succession and cover a wide range of issues involving city government.
“It affects everything from how they participate in voting, to how the budget is made, to how citizens participate in advisory boards, to issues like how the police are serving the community, to dealing with issues about whether or not human rights are being affected in the City of Buffalo,” Rubin said.
Early voting starts Saturday. Voters interested in learning more about each of the 11 proposed charter changes can review more information from the City of Buffalo Charter Revision Commission. The city's commission page includes information designed to help understand the proposals.
Rubin said he hopes voters turn out and make their voices heard on the questions found on the back of the ballot.
“I would hope that people will vote. I hope people come out and vote in general, right? That's our civic duty, and I hope they flip the page and vote for everything,” Rubin said.
