‘Cool’ to vote on Charter changes ‘Broad City’ duo makes a pitch to N.Y.ers
Yas queen, vote!
Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson reprise their “Broad City” roles in a public service announcement to get New Yorkers to vote on proposed changes to the City Charter next month.
The video, set for release Tuesday, features the comedy duo spending Sunday morning eating bagels, drinking coffee and looking at copies of the Charter.
“OK, Ilana, if you could vote on one thing for all New Yorkers, what would it be?” Jacobson wonders.
“Someone honks outside your window … boom, free bacon, egg and cheese,” Glazer replies.
“OK, OK,” Jacobson says. “What about if every New Yorker gets an automatic force field as soon as you enter Times Square, like government-issued?”
“I love that,” Glazer says. “Did you know on Nov. 5, we can vote on other cool stuff? Like we get to amend our city’s Charter.”
“Our constitution!” Jacobson interjects.
The video is part of efforts by the Charter Revision Commission to inform New Yorkers that they have a chance to change city laws in this fall’s off-year election.
“This election is happening during an off-year so we want to do everything possible to make sure that New Yorkers know that these proposals are on the ballot,” Charter Revision Commission Chairwoman Gail Benjamin said. “That’s why we were so excited to have Abbi and Ilana join us in this campaign. We know that when they talk, people listen.”
The ballot includes five proposals.
New Yorkers can vote on whether to authorize ranked choice voting in city primary and special elections, which allows voters to sort their top five candidates for city office and save taxpayers millions from costly runoff elections.
They can also vote on amending the structure of the Civilian Complaint Review Board to allow the body to recommend discipline when a cop is believed to have made a false statement during an investigation. The size of the CCRB would also increase.
“Police accountability?” Glazer says in the video.
“You can vote on that!” Jacobson says.
Another measure would extend the ban on lobbying by city elected pols and senior appointed officials to two years from one year. The city’s corporation counsel, currently appointed by the mayor, would also have to be approved by the City Council.
One ballot question would reform the city budget, including setting minimum spending for the public advocate and borough presidents. And the fifth proposal would overhaul the time line for the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, which governs how property can be used.