The New York state equal rights ballot proposition scored a big win on election night.
The statewide ballot measure, known as Prop 1, won 56.5 percent to 34.9 percent. In Westchester, voters overwhelmingly backed the measure by a more than 2 to 1 margin — 68 percent to 32 percent.
The equal rights amendment adds anti-discrimination language to the state’s constitution, saying someone cannot be denied civil rights because of their national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, or “reproductive healthcare and autonomy.”
But the main focus was to enshrine broader legal protections for abortion and allow for less room to restrict abortion rights, proponents said.
Critics railed against it, arguing that the amendment would cost taxpayers by allowing undocumented immigrants more state-funded benefits, amid fears that the proposal will grant transgender people the right to compete in sports that align with the gender they identify with.
Meanwhile, a proposal to extend the terms of reps in the Westchester County Legislature was easily defeated. This ballot proposal was just for Westchester residents — asking if individuals serving as Westchester County legislators should serve four-year terms instead of their current two-year terms.
But 57 percent of county voters rejected the proposal; 43 percent supported it.